[PRIMARY STUDY ON IMPLANT COVERAGE WITH LOCAL SOFT TISSUE IN IMMEDIATE IMPLANT-BASED BREAST RECONSTRUCTION]

To explore the method of implant coverage with local soft tissue in immediate implant-based breast reconstruction and to evaluate the early effectiveness.

Between April 2014 and August 2015, 11 patients with breast cancer underwent immediate breast reconstruction with implants after mastectomy, and the clinical data were reviewed retrospectively. The age ranged 29-48 years (mean, 36 years). The disease duration was from 7 days to 12 months (median, 3 months). According to tumor staging, 3 cases were rated as T(is)N0M0, 4 cases as T1N0M0, and 4 cases as T2N0M0. The implants were covered with local soft tissue according to the volume of mastectomy and contralateral breast size, including pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps with inframammary adipofasical flaps (3 cases), with serratus anterior fascial flap (5 cases), with rectus sheath fascial flap (1 case), and with serratus anterior fascial flap and rectus sheath fascial flap (2 cases). The size of pectoralis major myocutaneous flaps ranged from 15 cm x 9 cm to 20 cm x 15 cm, and the serratus anterior fascial flaps from 10 cm x 8 cm to 15 cm x 10 cm, and the rectus sheath fascial flap from 8 cm x 6 cm to 10 cm x 8 cm.

One patient had partial nipple necrosis postoperatively and was cured, and no other postoperative complications of hematoma, infection, or implant exposure was found. The patients were followed up 4-13 months (median, 8 months). The reconstructive outcomes were excellent in 10 cases and good in 1 case, with an excellent and good rate of 100%. During follow-up, no rupture or exposure of the implant was observed; capsular contracture (Baker grade II) occurred in 1 case.

Adequate coverage of implants with different local soft tissue flaps can achieve satisfactory early effectiveness in immediate implant-based breast reconstruction after mastectomy.