Ablate: To remove, especially by cutting.
Access Incision: The entry site for the instruments - i.e., cannulae and/or probes - utilized in performing the LipoSelection® procedure. Due to the small size of the probes and cannulae specific to the VASER® System, the access incisions are also small.
Adipose Tissue: Fat, or of a fatty nature. Adipose tissue contains a large percentage of fat, in addition to blood, nerves and connective tissues. During the LipoSelection® procedure, the VASER® System selectively fragments fat while leaving important tissues (nerves, blood vessels, connective tissues) relatively intact. This is the reason that pain, swelling, and bruising are low to minimal.
Aesthetic: Pertaining to beauty or the improvement of appearance; a pleasing appearance or effect.
Amplifier: A device designed to increase the strength, or amplitude, of a sound wave without affecting frequency. During the LipoSelection® procedure, the VASER® System's amplifier regulates the ultrasound energy that breaks up fat when delivered via patented grooved probes.
Anesthesia: The loss of sensation with or without loss of consciousness; loss of the ability to feel pain, as caused by administration of a drug or by other medical interventions. In the hands of a qualified professional, anesthesia is a safe way of alleviating pain during almost any type of medical procedure.
Aspiration: A drawing of something in, out, up, or through by suction, as in the withdrawal of fluid or tissue from the body. During the LipoSelection® procedure, aspiration refers to the gentle suction process by which emulsified fat is removed.
Avulsion: Forcibly tearing away body tissue by surgical means, including traditional liposuction techniques.
Cannula: A small, hollow tube, typically with one or more openings near the tip, for insertion into a body cavity or into a duct or vessel. The VASER® System's patented cannulae are designed to withdraw emulsified fat with little trauma to other tissue.
Complication: A secondary disease or condition developing in the treatment course of a primary disease or condition; any type of unwanted result related to surgery. Treatment with the VASER System has been reported to result in low complication rates of complications often associated with other forms of lipoplasty, such as body contour irregularities, prolonged swelling, numbing, blood clotting / bruising / seromas, skin discoloration, and infection.
Conscious Sedation: Sometimes referred to as Twilight, this is a type of sedation whereby pain relievers and sedatives are administered to produce an altered state of consciousness through which pain perception and discomfort are minimized. Conscious sedation differs from general anesthesia in that the patient retains his or her natural breathing reflex and is able to respond to instructions and answer questions throughout the procedure. Due to the medications involved, a brief period of amnesia may erase any memory of the procedure(s) undergone.
Continuous Mode: Constant, level vibration; the most powerful mode setting on the VASER® System. See also Pulsed Mode.
Cosmetic Surgery: A segment of the plastic surgery field that deals in procedures designed to specifically improve a patient's aesthetic appearance. Cosmetic surgeons focus their practice on cosmetic procedures, while plastic surgeons perform a significant amount of reconstructive surgery in addition to cosmetic procedures.
Dermatologist: A physician whose practice focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders and diseases. Because of their familiarity with the skin's supportive structure and the nature and responsiveness of the underlying tissue, some dermatologists position themselves as specialists in cosmetic procedures such as lipoplasty.
Emulsification: The process of fragmenting fat - as in treatment with ultrasound energy - whereby fat cells, which are large and soft, break apart to release intracellular contents in the form of a frothy liquid.
Emulsion: A colloidal dispersion of small droplets of one liquid within another, such as oil in water or water in oil. Ultrasound energy breaks apart fat to form an emulsion with the infusion fluid, which then is ready for aspiration.
Epinephrine: (Adrenaline): A potential stimulant that is the principal blood-pressure-raising hormone secreted by the adrenal medulla and used medicinally, especially as a heart stimulant and a vasoconstrictor. During VASER LipoSelection®, Epinephrine is used in the infusion solution as a vasoconstrictor; it narrows blood vessels to control hemorrhages.
Fatty Tissue: see Adipose Tissue.
Fibrous: A sinewy type of fat composed of a serous membrane supported by a firm layer of "tough" tissue, composed of or containing fiber - as seen in young, athletic males and the fatty tissue of lipoplasty re-treatment patients. Although fibrous tissue is marked by high electrical impedance, the VASER® System's unique patented grooved probe design enables the efficient treatment of such tissue with the LipoSelection® procedure.
Fragment: One of the small pieces into which a larger entity has been broken.
Fragmentation: The breaking apart of fat via ultrasonic energy.
Garment: Relative to VASER LipoSelection®, a one-piece article of clothing that applies continual pressure over large body areas after surgical intervention. Compression garments are typically worn continually for several weeks post-operatively to provide comfort and support, as well as to help the skin better conform to new body contours.
General Anesthesia: A reversible state of the total loss of consciousness, produced by anesthetic agents, with the absence of pain sensation over the entire body, and a greater or lesser degree of muscular relaxation. General anesthesia usually begins with an injection of anesthetic medication into a patient's IV, with sleep soon following; a breathing tube or other airway device may be inserted through the patient's mouth to maintain proper breathing during this period.
General Surgeon: A physician who specializes in surgery, which may include cosmetic surgery.
Grooved Probe: A patented instrument specific to the VASER® System, this is a small, solid, titanium rod-shaped instrument with one or more channels running the circumference near its tip. These unique grooves couple ultrasonic energy from the sides of the probe to disperse sound waves to adipose tissue during the LipoSelection® procedure. More grooves mean more energy emits from the probe's sides, less from its face and tip, thus greatly increasing coupling and efficiency of the probes. The surgeon performing VASER LipoSelection® chooses from a variety of probes based upon the specific nature of a treatment site's adipose tissue.
Handpiece: A device used to hold and manipulate the probes and cannulae utilized to perform VASER LipoSelection®. The VASER System's probe handpiece houses the piezoelectrical crystal that transmits ultrasound energy, which is delivered via the grooved probe.
Incision: A cut or gash, specifically a wound created with a sharp instrument in surgery for entry into the body. The incisions specific to VASER LipoSelection® are small. See also Access Incision.
Infusion: The therapeutic introduction of a fluid other than blood into a body space or area. The saline solution infused prior to the VASER LipoSelection® procedure typically contains epinephrine and lidocaine. Proper infusion (both in content and volume) is critical to the precision and smooth contouring attainable with VASER LipoSelection®.
IV Sedation: Anesthesia produced by injection of an anesthetic agent into a patient's vein.
Lidocaine: a local anesthetic; the anesthetic of choice for the infusion mixture used when performing the LipoSelection® procedure.
Lipoplasty: The surgical removal and/or displacement of fatty or lipid substance.
LipoSelection® and VASER LipoSelection®: A precise and efficient fat removal procedure combining advanced surgical techniques and proprietary technology known as the VASER System. The VASER LipoSelection® procedure uses ultrasound energy to break up fat, leaving important tissue (such as blood vessels, nerves, and connective tissue) relatively intact. By minimizing damage to other tissue, patients typically experience highly satisfactory results, including smooth contours with low to minimal pain and low to minimal swelling and bruising.
Liposuction: A removal method for unwanted subcutaneous fat, achieved by means of a hollow cannula that administers vacuum suction combined with mechanical avulsion. See also Lipoplasty, SAL, Power-Assisted Liposuction, and UAL.
Local Anesthesia: Anesthesia confined to one area of the body; the production of insensibility in a small, specific body area by interrupting the sensory nerve conductivity from that region of the body. During the LipoSelection® procedure, some doctors induce local (sometimes in conjunction with IV sedation) in lieu of general anesthesia. When inducing local, the anesthetic drug is administered via infusion of a pre-mixed wetting solution.
Patented: With a patent, granted by the federal government, the creator of an invention is given the exclusive right to make, use, and sell the invention for a set period of time. The makers of the VASER® System hold eleven patents to date, with additional patent applications submitted for review.
Patient Selectivity: Complete consideration of potential patients' medical history, physical factors and realistic expectations in determining patient candidacy.
PFMS: The Precision Fluid Management System, which is specific to the VASER® System, that monitors fluid input for the patient undergoing a LipoSelection® procedure.
Plastic Surgery: Surgery performed for the purpose of reconstruction and/ or repair, rectification, or aesthetic enhancement to the shape, beauty or function of body structures that have been made defective, damaged, or misshapen by injury, malady, or developmental growth. See also Cosmetic Surgery.
Power-Assisted Liposuction: This variant of traditional SAL also involves the forceful removal of fat (avulsion), except that it employs a powered reciprocating or rotating suction cannula.
Probe: A solid, slender medical instrument, used to transmit ultrasonic energy to the adipose tissue during ultrasound-assisted procedures. The patented grooved probes employed by the VASER® System during the LipoSelection® procedure create a precise and efficient means of transferring sound waves to targeted fat for emulsification. See also Grooved Probe.
Pulsed Mode: See VASER® Mode, Continuous Mode.
Re-treatment: Also referred to as a "touch-up" or "re-do" procedure, this is a secondary treatment of a lipoplasty patient. The LipoSelection® procedure has been reported to result in a low incidence of required re-treatments.
SAL (Suction Assisted Liposuction): Traditional liposuction performed using a hollow cannula and vacuum suction. SAL relies on mechanical avulsion of fat to remove adipose cells and is not tissue selective, as is VASER LipoSelection®. See also Tissue Selectivity and LipoSelection®.
Selectivity: See Patient Selectivity, Tissue Selectivity.
Seroma: A mass caused by the accumulation of serum fluid within a tissue or organ; a potential complication associated with lipoplasty.
Sound Energy: Energy transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas as a series of longitudinal waves propagating through the medium. See also Ultrasound Energy.
Tissue Selectivity: As relates to the LipoSelection® procedure, the ability of the VASER® System's patented grooved probes to ultrasonically treat fat in a precise and efficient manner while leaving the tissue matrix largely intact. This is reported to result in low to minimal pain and low to minimal swelling and bruising.
Twilight: See Conscious Sedation.
UAL (Ultrasound Assisted Lipoplasty): Lipoplasty that employs ultrasound energy to emulsify fat via cavitation, in contrast to mechanical avulsion of fat as in SAL. Although VASER LipoSelection® employs ultrasonic energy, it differs from previous-generation UAL technology that is still in use today because, in the VASER LipoSelection® procedure, fat is efficiently emulsified using the VASER System's proprietary grooved probes. Once fat is emulsified, the VASER System's unique cannulae facilitate removal of the fat emulsion while leaving other important tissues relatively intact.
Ultrasound Energy: Sound waves travel via air vibration, and frequency is a measurement of this action over an interval of one second, described in units known as Hertz (abbreviated Hz). Humans perceive sound from 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz. Levels above human perception are referred to as "ultrasonic". Although sound frequencies above 20,000 Hz are imperceptible to the human ear, ultrasonic vibrations produce energy waves that can be distributed therapeutically in a controlled application. The ultrasound energy employed by VASER LipoSelection® breaks up fat while leaving other important tissue (such as nerves, blood vessels, and connective tissue) relatively undisturbed.
VASER Mode: Specific to the VASER®System, a setting that delivers bursts of vibration or pulsed energy that, although slightly less powerful than Continuous Mode, creates a more precise application. This mode was designed for treatment of more delicate areas such as arms, inner thighs, chins and necks.
VASER System: Platform for delivery of VASER® Technology.
VASER Technology: "VASER" is an acronym created from Vibration Amplification of Sound Energy at Resonance, which describes this innovative patented ultrasound technology that breaks up and emulsifies fat prior to aspiration. The VASER System differs from previous generations of UAL in its application of ultrasound, which was designed to enable sculpting so precise it can be used in delicate areas such as the arms, inner thighs, neck and chin. Treatment with the VASER System has been reported to result in low to minimal pain and low to minimal swelling and bruising.
Wetting Solution: A saline solution that is infiltrated into the subcutaneous tissue during infusion, in preparation for lipoplasty procedures. During the LipoSelection® procedure, this solution "loosens up" fatty tissue and performs other vital functions, including the delivery of medication (typically epinephrine and lidocaine) and the provision of important thermal protection; it also serves as a medium for the delivery of ultrasound energy as well as a vehicle for the aspiration of emulsified fat. See also emulsification. |
