Graft Dissection Rates in FUE Procedure
Dr. Wasserbauer began studying graft dissection rates in earnest in 2010 when she was the primary investigator for the FDA trials with the ARTAS Robotic FUE hair transplant device. Below are her hair graft dissection results that patients have given their permission to have shared (note that not all her surgeries are represented here due to patient privacy concerns and only FUE cases are represented).
What is interesting is that as she has improved her technique and her graft dissection rates have steadily improved (all data reflect FUE surgery accomplished with a powered or manual FUE device). Also, the number of grafts transplanted has increased and the time needed to recover those grafts has decreased. This is an important metric for patients because any surgical hair transplant team has 6-8 hours to remove the grafts and return them to the scalp before survival rates start to drop. Thus, if a patient is considering an FUE hair transplant, it might be wise to request this sort of information from their hair surgeon for during their initial consultation.
| 2010 FUE Surgery results | Transection rates | Graft Count | Active surgery time | Per Hour Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2010 | 14% | 1525 | 4 hrs | 435 |
| 2/2010 | 10% | 1861 | 6.5 hrs | 250 |
| 2/2010 | 8% | 1295 | 4 hrs | 375 |
| 5/2010 | 10% | 1116 | 3 hrs | 372 |
| 6/2010 | 19% | 1668 | 5 hrs | 375 |
| 7/2010 | 9% | 1699 | 4 hrs | 500 |
| 8/2010 | 2% | 1830 | 4 hrs | 400 |
| 10/2010 | 27% | 1610 | 4 hrs | 484 |
| 11% | 1576 | 399 | ||
| Range | 2%-27% | 1116-1861 | 3-6.5 hours | 250-500 |
| 2011 FUE surgery results | Transection rates | Graft Count | Active surgery time | Per Hour Rate |
| 1/2011 | 9% | 300 | ||
| 2/2011 | 8% | 1395 | 3 hrs | 500 |
| 3/2011 | 15% | 1626 | 4 hrs | 450 |
| 3/2011 | 14% | 1801 | 4 hrs | 450 |
| 8/2011 | 22% | 1616 | 5 hrs | 500 |
| 10/2011 | 19% | 1664 | 3.5 hrs | 585 |
| 10/2011 | 8% | 1987 | 3 hrs | 668 |
| 11/2011 | 10% | 2090 | 3 hrs | 750 |
| 12/2011 | 1% | 1785 | 3 hrs | 750 |
| 12/2011 | 8% | 2031 | 3 hrs | 711 |
| 12/2011 | 12% | 2214 | 3 hrs | 800 |
| 11% | 1683 | 616 | ||
| Range | 1-22% | 300-2214 | 3-5 hours | 450-800 |
| 2012 FUE surgery results | Transection rates | Graft Count | Active surgery time | Per Hour Rate |
| 1/2012 | 5% | 1844 | 3 hrs | 667 |
| 2/2012 | 13% | 1812 | 3 hrs | 679 |
| 3/2012 | 4% | 2411 | 3 hrs | 833 |
| 3/2012 | 12% | 1971 | 3 hrs | 715 |
| 4/2012 | 7% | 1888 | 3 hrs | 667 |
| 5/2012 | 7% | 1491 | 3 hrs | 600 |
| 5/2012 | 8% | 1842 | 3 hrs | 675 |
| 8% | 1894 | 691 | ||
| Range | 4-13% | 1491-2411 | 3 hours | 667-833 |
This data and chart are the property of Sara Wasserbauer, M.D. and cannot be used for any purposes without express permission. © Sara Wasserbaur, M.D.