BACKGROUND: Liposuction consists in the surgical removal of subcutaneous fat. Initially, liposuction used to be performed by the "dry" method, without the local infiltration of any anesthetic solution, which led to serious postoperative complications. The introduction of the tumescent technique through the use of Klein solution made it possible to perform safe surgical liposuction. OBJECTIVE: To analyze liposuction surgery performed through the tumescent technique regarding sex, age, body regions operated upon, quantity of suctioned fat, quantity of removed fat, volume of Klein anesthetic solution injected, and eventual complications. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This is a retrospective study of 288 liposuction surgeries performed on 266 patients from 1994 to 2000. The surgeries were performed in the ambulatory surgical center of the Dermatology Clinic of Hospital do Servidor Publico Municipal de São Paulo. RESULTS: Patients' age ranged from ages 20 to 50, and female patients clearly outnumbered male patients. The abdomen (including flanks) and trochanteric region were the most liposuctioned body sites. The quantity of excised fat and the volume of Klein solution injected varied according to the body region operated upon. No complications were observed during intraoperative and postoperative phases. CONCLUSION: Liposuction is a safe surgical procedure that can be performed in ambulatories. Klein solution permits local anesthesia, providing sufficient anesthesia during intraoperative and postoperative phases as well as quick recovery. When liposuction is performed with the use of tumescent anesthetic upon carefully selected patients, surgical risks are extremely rare.
surgery; lipectomy
