Prevalence of endogenous CD34+ adipose stem cells predicts human fat graft retention in a xenograft model.

Background Fat grafting is a promising technique for soft-tissue augmentation, although graft retention is highly unpredictable and factors that affect graft survival have not been well defined. Because of their capacity for differentiation and growth factor release, adipose-derived stem cells may have a key role in graft healing. The authors’ objective was to determine whether biological properties of adipose-derived stem cells present within human fat would correlate with in vivo outcomes of graft volume retention.