Prepectoral Hammock and Direct-to-implant Breast Reconstruction in 10 Minutes: A Focus on Technique

Breast animation deformity has sparked a reappraisal of the prepectoral implant placement in breast reconstruction. Our approach for direct-to-implant breast reconstruction (DIR) has evolved from a dual plane muscle/mesh coverage to a simple prepectoral hammock covering just the inferolateral part of the implant without the muscle. The aim of this study was to test the procedure in a prospective case series with emphasis on reconstructive outcome.

Twenty-seven patients undergoing nipple- or skin-sparing mastectomy without subsequent radiation therapy requesting a primary implant-based reconstruction were included from May 2016 to April 2017. Median age was 46 years (25-67). We registered comorbidities, complications, and long-term results of successful or failed reconstruction.

Forty-seven DIR in 27 women, 20 bilateral, 7 unilateral. The median body mass index was 24 (17-31). The median time for mastectomy and DIR was 103 minutes (60-150). The inferolateral hammock consisted of Meso Biomatrix (34), Strattice (11), and Vicryl (2). The median implant size was 260 cc (140-345). Four complications (14%), 2 hematomas, 1 seroma, and 1 infection with partial nipple necrosis were all salvaged and reconstruction completed successfully. The median follow-up was 11 months (7-17).

The prepectoral inferolateral hammock, a swift one-stage procedure with a quick recovery, creates promising results in the presence of an adequate skin flap. The simplicity of the method has made it the authors first choice for DIR.