Simultaneous Salvage Auto-augmentation: Contemporary Strategy for Management of the Breast Explantation Patient

Abstract

Background: The treatment of patients requiring explantation of breast prostheses is a complicated clinical issue, for which a consensus regarding the best way forward is still evolving. We believe that simultaneous salvage auto-augmentation (SSAA) is a viable option for the treatment of patients with explantation. Methods: Sixteen cases (32 breasts) were reviewed over a 19-year period. The management of the capsule is based on intraoperative findings and not on preoperative evaluation because of the poor interobserver correlation of Baker grades. Results: The mean age and clinical follow-up duration were 48 years (range: 41–65) and 9 months, respectively. We observed no complications, and only one patient underwent unilateral surgical revision of the periareolar scar, under local anaesthesia. Conclusions: This study suggests that SSAA with or without autologous fat injection is a safe option for women undergoing explantation, with potential aesthetic and cost-saving benefits. In the current climate of public anxiety regarding breast implant illness, breast implant-associated atypical large cell lymphoma, and asymptomatic textured implants, it is anticipated that the number of patients desiring explantation and SSAA will continue to increase.

Optimizing Aesthetic Outcomes after Retroglandular Breast Implant Explantation

“…This surge in explantation demands presents a challenge for plastic surgeons 5,6 : how to address the stigmas caused by breast implant removal and achieve a breast with an appropriate contour closer to its preimplant appearance. A new strategy to rebuild breast contour after retroglandular breast implant removal is described in this article.…”