Transaxillary endoscopic silicone gel breast augmentation

Following the return of silicone gel breast implants to the US market in 2006, augmentation with these implants has become increasingly popular. Surgeons have an array of refined techniques from which to choose when performing these procedures, many of which offer the advantage of reduced or less-obvious postoperative scarring. For obvious reasons, many patients are requesting placement of the implants through incisions that are removed from the breast area (and thereby hidden). The challenge of these approaches is to provide a level of technical control that matches what is afforded with the traditional inframammary approach. The addition of endoscopic assistance has provided a level of tissue visualization and technical control not previously possible with the transaxillary approach, with results that rival those of an inframammary procedure. In this article, the author presents his current operative technique, which has allowed for the routine placement of silicone gel breast implants through a transaxillary incision using endoscopic assistance.