Technical aspects of immediate breast reconstruction with implants: five year follow-up

We describe the technical aspects of 249 patients who had immediate breast reconstruction with implants and a follow-up of at least five years. The type of reconstruction was permanent expander prostheses (n=208), permanent prostheses (n=32), and temporary expander prostheses (n=9). The median total number of operations required to complete the reconstruction was 3 (range 1-6) with nipple-reconstruction included. Thirty-two patients developed local complications (13%) and three had systemic complications (1%). Eighteen implants were lost, so the failure rate of reconstruction was 7%. The technique of immediate breast reconstruction with implants is associated with a low overall morbidity. This, combined with earlier reported psychological advantages, no increased risk of cancer relapse, and reasonable cost, indicates the importance of immediate reconstruction with implants in the treatment of breast cancer.