Immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after removal of the polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAAG) through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope

Background

To identify the feasibility, safety, cosmetic outcomes and patient satisfaction of immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after removal of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel (PAAG) through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope.

Methods

This was a retrospective study. Medical records of 87 patients who underwent PAAG removal were reviewed retrospectively from February 2010 to December 2019. These patients were dichotomized based on whether they accepted immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal or not. A comprehensive analysis on the data was conducted to observe the surgical results, cosmetic outcomes, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and patient satisfaction.

Results

Sixty-two patients underwent PAAG removal through a small areolar incision assisted with an endoscope, while another 25 patients underwent further immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal. All the patients recovered smoothly after operation. In the immediate breast reconstructed group, most of the breasts were natural in appearance, but one patient had mild nipple and breast asymmetry, and another had mild breast asymmetry. Three patients had PAAG residual, and one of them accepted fine needle aspiration. The cosmetic satisfaction rate was 88% and 92% by surgeons and patients, respectively. In the other group, seven patients suffered from PAAG residual, one patient suffered from postoperative bleeding, and five patients suffered from skin laxity. The BREAST-Q scores revealed that patients who accepted immediate breast reconstruction had significant better outcomes in psychosocial well-being (p = 0.030), satisfaction with breasts (p = 0.021), when compared to patients who only accepted PAAG removal, while similar in sexual well-being (p = 0.081), physical well-being chest (p = 0.124), and satisfaction with outcomes (p = 0.068), and satisfaction with care (p = 0.077).

Conclusion

Immediate prosthetic breast reconstruction after PAAG removal through a small areolar incision aided with an endoscope might be a viable and safe technique, with better psychosocial well-being and satisfaction with breasts.

Surgical Treatment of Capsular Contracture (CC): Literature Review and Outcomes Utilizing Implants in Revisionary Surgery

BACKGROUND

The objective of this clinical review is to provide an overview of the use of breast implants after capsular contracture (CC) surgical treatment, with a focus on type of implants used. Furthermore, our experience in this field is also reviewed.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar databases were reviewed to identify literature related to surgical treatment of capsular contracture and implant replacement. Each article was reviewed by two independent reviewers to ensure all relevant publications were identified. The literature search identified 54 applicable articles. Of these, 26 were found to have a therapeutic level of evidence. The reference lists in each relevant paper were screened manually to include relevant papers not found through the initial search.

RESULTS

Only four articles report the replacement of implants after surgical treatment of capsular contracture. Six articles reported an implant exchange with only smooth silicone gel filled implants. Two reviews advice to use smooth implants in implant replacement.

CONCLUSION

With our expertise in the field and the results of this up-to-date literature review, it can be concluded that implant exchange is recommended in case of breast revision for capsular contracture, and the use of subpectoral smooth silicone gel breast implants is a good option after surgical treatment in patients with primary or recurrence Baker III-IV.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Smooth Prosthesis: Our Experience and Current State of Art in the Use of Smooth Sub-muscular Silicone Gel Breast Implants

BACKGROUND

The objective of this clinical review is to provide an overview of the use of silicone gel-filled breast implants placed in the sub-muscular position, with a focus on complication rates reported for both smooth and textured implants. Furthermore, our experience in this field is also reviewed.

METHODS

MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, the Cochrane Central and Google Scholar databases were reviewed to identify the literature related to smooth breast implants. Each article was reviewed by two independent reviewers to ensure all relevant publications were identified. The literature search identified 98 applicable articles. Of these, just a few articles were found to have a therapeutic level of evidence. The reference lists in each relevant paper were screened manually to include relevant papers not found through the initial search.

RESULTS

Eight articles report the risk of capsular contracture when the breast implants were placed in the sub-muscular position. Six of these articles report a similar rate of capsular contracture in smooth and textured implants. Local complications such as wrinkling, late seroma and double capsules were found to be associated with the use of textured breast implants (4 articles). All articles concerning BIA-ALCL reported a total absence occurring in smooth breast implants. All cases have been associated with textured mammary prostheses.

CONCLUSION

With our expertise in the field and the results of this up-to-date literature review, it can be concluded that there are no significant advantages of using one type of implant surface over the other when placed in the sub-pectoral position.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE V

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Breast reconstruction after mastectomy

Reconstructive surgery aims to improve quality of life by recreating a natural-looking breast that is warm to the touch. To obtain symmetry and body contour alignment, restoration of volume within the skin envelope is mandatory. The chosen reconstruction technique depends on the characteristics of the diseased breast, the shape and volume of the contralateral breast, and the technical skills of the surgical team. Timing, type and different possibilities of breast reconstruction are discussed.

Impact of Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM) Use Under Mastectomy Flap Necrosis on Perioperative Outcomes of Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction

BACKGROUND

There is conflicting data on the potential necrotic complications of acellular dermal matrix (ADM) use in breast reconstruction, and most studies focus on mastectomy flap necrosis as an outcome measure associated with ADM use. The aim of this study was to examine cases with necrotic complications with and without the use of ADM and to investigate whether ADM affected perioperative outcomes in cases with necrotic complications.

METHODS

Patients who experienced mastectomy flap necrosis following mastectomy with tissue expander placement between January 2009 and March 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. The primary outcome was explantation of the expander, and other associated outcomes such as seroma or infection were also recorded.

RESULTS

A total of 57 breasts with mastectomy flap necrosis were identified: 32 of which were in the non-ADM group and 25 in the ADM group. The rate of explantation was 28% (7/25) in the ADM group versus 6.3% (2/32) in the non-ADM group, which was significantly different (P = 0.034). The ADM group had a significantly higher rate of "major" infection requiring surgical debridement than the non-ADM group (P = 0.016). Multivariate analysis showed that the use of ADM was trending toward an increasing expander rate with borderline significance (P = 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated that ADM use under mastectomy flap necrosis was a potential risk for explantation of the expander and major infection. Surgeons should be cautious with the use of ADM with devascularized mastectomy skin flaps prone to necrosis.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .