Skin- and Nipple-Areola-Sparing Mastectomy with Immediate Breast Reconstruction Using Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap and Silicone Implants in Breast Carcinoma Patients

Abstract

Background: We aimed to assess patient satisfaction and aesthetic outcome in breast cancer patients undergoing nipplesparing mastectomy (NSM) and immediate breast reconstruction. Materials and Methods: The study population comprised 215 patients with histopathologically diagnosed breast cancer. The inclusion criteria were as follows: a diagnosis of breast cancer, a tumor of any size, any stage of nodal metastasis, and a tumor margin > 2.0 cm from the margin of the nipple-areola complex. To measure the aesthetic outcome, the Lowery scale was used. After mastectomy, immediate breast reconstruction was performed using the transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap, and by pacing the silicone implant. Results: Most of the patients were aged between 40 and 51 years. Lymphadenopathy was positive in 87 out of 215 subjects; among these 87 subjects, 61 showed macrometastasis and 26 micrometastasis. A lateral incision was performed for mastectomy in all cases, and immediate breast reconstruction was performed using autologous grafts: the latissimus dorsi myocutaneous (TRAM) flap in 83% of cases, and silicone implants in 17% of cases were used for reconstruction. An excellent aesthetic outcome was seen in 70% of the cases, and 22% showed a good outcome. Conclusions: NSM is a very safe and technically feasible procedure that provides a high level of patient satisfaction and an excellent aesthetic outcome.