title: Quality of Life Following Symptomatic Macromastia Surgery: Short- and Long-term Evaluation.
abstract: Mammary hypertrophy or macromastia can cause a wide range of symptoms (physical, psychosomatic or behavioral), which affect patients' quality of life. Breast reduction can, in most of the cases, solve the problem. However, certain factors could have a negative effect on the outcome of surgery. The aims of this study were to discover the degree of patient satisfaction (short- and long-term) and to evaluate results of reduction mammoplasty, and also to ascertain which factors may have a negative role on the effectiveness of breast reduction surgery. We carried out a prospective and longitudinal study of 121 patients who underwent breast reduction surgery. Quality of life, outcome of surgery (complications and sequelae) and degree of patient satisfaction were evaluated at 1 month and at 1 year after reduction mammoplasty. Mean patient age was 40.71 (SD = 12.02). Among them, 35.5% were overweight, 44.6% were obese and 34.7% were smokers. The most common symptom was pain. The mean amount of resected breast tissue was 1785 g (SD = 876). A total of 27.3% of the patients suffered complications and 30.60% suffered sequelae. Our results show an improvement in symptoms (p < 0.001) and quality of life (p < 0.001 to p = 0.002) 1 month after and 1 year after breast reduction compared with the preoperative situation. Neither age, body mass index, smoking habit nor the amount of tissue removed had a negative effect on the results of surgery. One year after surgery, the majority of patients were satisfied with the outcome (96.6%), they would recommend it to others (96.6%), and they would undergo surgery a second time (95.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Breast reduction is highly efficient in resolving symptoms and in improving quality of life. It leads to a high level of short- and long-term satisfaction irrespective of each patient's individual characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pérez-Panzano
authors.affiliation: Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa Hospital, Zaragoza, Spain.|Zaragoza University, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Güemes-Sánchez
authors.affiliation: Zaragoza University, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gascón-Catalán
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001940:Breast / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: breast reduction; macromastia; quality of life; reduction mammoplasty; satisfaction