Acceptable adverse outcomes after delayed breast reconstruction using abdominal advancement flap - a 15-year experience.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the adverse outcomes after delayed breast reconstruction (DBR) by abdominal advancement flap (AAF) and permanent prosthesis in patients treated with mastectomy due to unilateral breast carcinoma, as well as to determine which factors are predictive for their occurrence.


METHODS
The study included 155 patients operated at the Institute for Oncology and Radiology of Serbia from 1996 to 2010. All patients had total mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection, followed by specific oncological treatment. Patients were selected for DBR after complete diagnostic evaluation. Adverse events were evaluated in regard to patient, disease and prostheses-related factors.


RESULTS
During follow-up, DBR adverse events were observed in 23.237percnt; of the patients - the majority (91.67%) had only one. The most frequent was capsule contracture (47.22%), followed by asymmetry (22.22%), infection (16.67%) and prosthesis rupture (16.67%). There were isolated cases of prosthesis prolapse and local disease recurrence. Infections were treated conservatively in all but one patient. Other events were managed by additional operation. Statistical analysis showed that complications occurred significantly more often in patients ?51 years (vs 18-40, vs 41-50), disease stage IIb (vs Ia), T2 (vs T1) tumors and adjuvant radiotherapy (vs without). Prostheses-related factors were not significant for DBR complications, neither body mass index (BMI), nor smoking habits.


CONCLUSIONS
DBR using AAF and permanent prosthesis is a safe technique with acceptable complication rate. It provides one-time surgery with satisfactory aesthetic results and good postoperative recovery. Most frequent complication is capsule contracture. Patients' age and irradiation of the chest wall after mastectomy are predictive factors for complications.
1Special Hospital for Reconstructive and Plastic Surgery "Kosovac", Belgrade, Serbia.
Olivera
O
Kosovac
Nada
N
Santrac
Ivan
I
Markovic
Dusica
D
Gavrilovic
Aleksandar
A
Martinovic
Marko
M
Jevric
Igor
I
Spurnic
Radan
R
Dzodic
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019928:Breast Implantation / Q000379:methods; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008408:Mastectomy / Q000009:adverse effects; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000209:etiology; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods; D055771:Serbia; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult