eMedicine Specialties > Plastic Surgery > Body Contouring

Liposuction, Calves and Ankles: Treatment

Author: John YS Kim, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation; Consulting Staff, Northwestern Plastic Surgery
Coauthor(s): Jane Lee Fansler, MD, Resident Physician, Stanford University/Kaiser Permanente Emergency Medicine Residency Program; Joanne Lopes, MD, Consulting Surgeon, Cosmetic Surgery Center for Women
Contributor Information and Disclosures

Updated: Jun 22, 2009

Treatment

Medical Therapy

Instruct the patient to stop aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vitamin E, alcohol, and all tobacco products and to decrease sodium intake 2 weeks prior to surgery. The patient should be hydrated adequately preoperatively. If fitted compressive garments are to be used postoperatively, the patient should be fitted before the procedure.

Preoperative Details

While the patient is standing, mark his or her lateral and medial thigh bulges with wide peripheral limits. Mark the anterior and posterior thighs, extending to the inferior limits of the saddlebags.

Mark the calves and ankles while the patient is in a sitting position with the legs dangling. Also mark the areas with the patient in tiptoe position. This allows for differentiation of the thickness of the fat bulges from the underlying muscles and tendons.

First, outline the inferior limits of the largest fat accumulation in the ankle region. Mark the malleoli and Achilles tendon area and the area overlying the tibia so as to avoid liposuction in these areas. Then, draw a line posteriorly and anteriorly from the medial knee to the ankle region. Mark the transition zone where the inferior calf muscles narrow and taper toward the ankle. Mark the superior limits of a heavy calf circumferentially just below the knee. Mark the medial, lateral, and superior knee bulges. Then, mark 4 incisions in the ankle and knee region (medial and lateral). Also place incision marks in the anterior groin and posterior buttock crease.

Other asymmetric 2-mm incision sites may be marked and used to achieve access and contour. Grid patterns can also be made with methylene blue after the patient is prepared and draped to further delineate boundaries and landmarks.⁷

Intraoperative Details

Typically, place the patient in the supine position. Either general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia with sedation can be used.

Perform liposuction of the anterior legs with the patient's legs straight, fanning out from the groin. Suction the inner thighs with the patient in the frogleg position. For the lateral thigh area, the patient can be turned at the waist and the hips can be placed in the lateral decubitus position. For the posterior thigh, the leg can be lifted into a knee-cheek position or the patient can be placed in the prone position.

Important principles to practice to obtain satisfactory results include using the superwet local anesthesia technique, pretunneling, using 2- to 4-mm accelerator cannulae, and using a 1-hole concave and convex cannula. The average amount of superwet infiltration of the ankle and calf combined is approximately 750-800 mL. For the ankle alone, it is approximately 200-300 mL. Sterile tourniquets can also be used at the beginning of operations to minimize postoperative edema.

In the thigh, liposuction of distinct fat accumulation, such as in the outer and inner thighs, can be performed in the usual manner. To liposuction a thigh circumferentially, liposuction must occur at all 3 fat levels. First, place the cannula at the deep level, which is 1-2 cm below the skin in the deep subcutaneous level. Second, perform liposuction in the intermediate level, which is 0.5-1 cm below the skin at the base of the subdermal fat. Third, perform liposuction 1-2 mm below the skin with the hole facing away from the skin. The cannula must be passed beyond the anterior and posterior midline areas through each incision to provide circumferential liposuction.

Perform liposuction of the calves and ankles at a superficial and intermediate level. Pretunneling in the calf is 0.5 cm below the skin (2-3 mm in the ankle). Suction the calves. For the medial calf, suction down through the medial knee incision with the patient's legs abducted in the frogleg position. For the lateral calf, turn the trunk at the waist, placing the legs in a lateral decubitus position. For each incision, suction downward and then circumferentially past the anterior and posterior midline. Less liposuction is performed at the proximal third of the leg to avoid a tubular appearance and to maintain the transition of the muscular calf to the thinner ankle.

To reach around the anterior and posterior calves, use a concave accelerator cannula, suctioning horizontally or obliquely through both the medial knee and ankle incisions. A convex cannula allows suctioning in the midlateral and medial areas in a vertical direction.

Suction the transition zone transversally and obliquely with the 2-mm concave cannula through 2 small incisions positioned 3-cm medial and lateral to the midline. Suction between the marked horizontal lines and in an anterior-to-posterior direction. Pass the cannula 20-30 times, angling slightly upward toward the back of the leg. Suction the medial transition zone aggressively; suction the lateral transition zone lightly.

For ankle suctioning, place 2 medial and 2 lateral incisions anterior and posterior to the malleoli. Do not suction over the Achilles tendon. The procedure requires cross-tunneling up to the transition zone in a vertical, longitudinal, and oblique direction. Aggressive suctioning in this area maximizes the amount of subdermal fat removed.

Internal ultrasound may be used on the upper one half of the lower leg for 1-2 minutes. Decrease the ultrasound to 40% maximum energy, with the endpoint being loss of cannula resistance.

The endpoints of suctioning are a pinch test result of 1-1.5 cm, when aspirate turns from mostly fatty to mostly bloody, and when both legs are symmetric in appearance and in removed aspirate. Tourniquets, if used, are not deflated until the procedure is complete.

Postoperative Details

Mladick proposes intraoperative maneuvers to decrease swelling postoperatively.

Tourniquets are inflated while dressings are applied. After the first leg is suctioned, roll out the fluid accumulation through the incision, thereby milking the leg. Wrap a sterile 6-inch elastic bandage prior to suctioning the other leg. After suctioning the second leg, unwrap both legs, measure them, and observe them for contour. Dress wounds with 2 x 2 gauze pads. Then, wrap both legs with 0.5-inch, soft, nonadhesive foam. Wrap the entire leg with a 6-inch elastic bandage. Tourniquets are deflated at this time.

In the recovery room, elevate the legs and apply compression boots. Patients should attempt to remain supine with legs elevated for the first week postoperatively. Allow the patient to ambulate to the bathroom on the first postoperative day, and increase activity thereafter. Instruct the patient to place his or her heel down to avoid heel-cord shortening.

Change the dressing on postoperative day 4. Sequential compression is applied for 2 months during the night. The compression stockings are maintained during the day.

Rohrich et al use the pneumatic compression device almost continuously for the first 3 weeks, with full-length compression stockings for the first 3 months. External ultrasound can be applied 2-3 times per week for the first 3-4 weeks to facilitate edema resolution. Leg elevation is still emphasized and manual lymphatic massage should be started as soon as the patient can tolerate it. Using these measures, postoperative edema is minimal at 2-3 months.

Complications

A reported complication specific to the knee is a perforation of the capsula articularis. The use of a blunt cannula, multiple incisions, and extension of the knee is recommended to avoid this complication. If it occurs, treat the injury with an elastic bandage and antibiotics.

In the ankle, hyperpigmentation, telangiectasia, and depressions have been reported as most likely secondary to the dependent location and thinness of the overlying fat. Superficial blistering over the Achilles tendon is rare and probably caused by increased pressure. If this occurs, release the compression stocking over the Achilles tendon. Decreased big toe sensation immediately in the postoperative period has also been reported, but it resolves over time. Postoperative pain can also be severe. Recovery time is longer for liposuction in the calves and ankles than in other body areas secondary to factors including edema.

Infection, skin slough, phlebitis, posttraumatic tendonitis, and arthritis are rare.

The most frequent complication is persistent ankle thickness in 10% of patients, partly due to edema and underresection of the ankles. Contour deformities can occur, as in other areas of liposuction.

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