High Satisfaction Rates from Autologous Breast Reconstruction

Following mastectomy, women report higher satisfaction from breast reconstruction using their own tissues, rather than from the use of implants.  While both methods provided good outcomes, a new study indicates that patients with autologous reconstruction were more satisfied with the results and with their quality of life after reconstruction surgery.

According to a study published in a recent issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, ninety-two women completed a BREAST-Q survey following breast reconstruction between 2006 and 2010.  Approximately half of the women in the study had autologous breast reconstruction that was performed using “donor” flaps from their abdomen to create their new breasts and the other half received implant-based reconstruction. On a 100-point scale, the satisfaction scores for overall results were about ten to twelve points higher for autologous reconstruction than for implant reconstruction. There were no significant differences between the two methods in terms of scores for quality of life.

It is important to note several differences between the two groups. Women who chose autologous reconstruction were generally older, were more likely to have undergone radiation therapy and had received delayed reconstruction surgery. Implant reconstruction was typically performed on younger women who had a double mastectomy with reconstruction immediately following surgery.

Women have many options for breast reconstruction and a single ideal reconstruction method is not appropriate for all patients. The researchers concluded that patient characteristics between the two groups accounted for the preliminary results and that further studies are needed to evaluate the reasons for the differences in overall satisfaction rates.