Does an Autologous Flap Reduce Implant-Related Complications in an Irradiated Breast Reconstruction?
An Evaluation of 1000 Consecutive Cases of Implant-Based Breast Reconstructions in 724 Patients. David W. Chang, MD, Yoav barnea, MD, Geoffrey L. Robb, MD. MD Anderson Cancer Center, HOUSTON, TX, USA. Purpose: An implant-alone breast reconstruction is usually not recommended in patients with previous irradiation due to the high risk of complications. However, many surgeons feel the addition of an autologous flap over the implant does help reduce implant-related complications. It is unclear from existing data whether this is true or not. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an autologous flap helps reduce the implant-related complications in patients with previous irradiation undergoing an implant-based breast reconstruction. Method: 1000 consecutive cases of implant-based breast reconstructions in 724 patients were reviewed. All cases were performed at our institution from Jan. 2001 to Dec. 2005; 59 cases were performed in patients who received preoperative XRT and 908 cas
