1577 – Autologous fat grafting (AFG) by injection, for treatment of burn scars, and treatment of facial defects due to craniofacial abnormalities

New application for Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) funding.

Autologous fat grafting (AFG) is the harvesting, preparation, and re-injection or autologous fat, with or without specialised fat grafting equipment. It includes live fat cells being harvested from a donor site on the patient, prepared in theatre by a variety of methods to separate and purify the fat cells, and injected back into the defective area. It relies on the fat stem cells remaining viable in the transferred site. Fat transfer, or fat grafting, or lipo-filling, or lipo-modelling, can be extremely useful for recontouring congenital facial deformities and serious burns scars.

AFG is more complex than scar revision and an item number will improve resource allocation and monitoring of use.

The proposed service is for autologous fat grafting (i.e. harvesting, preparation and injection of adipocytes) as an independent procedure or in conjunction with another procedure for:

i. Correction of defects arising from craniofacial disorders
ii. Correction of burn scars and associated contractures

Type: Therapeutic medical service

Autologus fat grafting is relevant for defects arising from the following medical conditions:

i. Craniofacial disorders with facial asymmetry requiring reconstruction and recontouring – These include congenital craniofacial syndromes and acquired defects due to disorders (including Parry–Rhomberg disease)
ii. Burn scars and contractures – These include major burns where thin split thickness skin graft has been used.

• PASC meeting: 8 August 2019
• ESC meeting: 12 June 2020
• MSAC meeting: 28 to 29 July 2020