Abdominal Flap-based Breast Reconstruction versus Abdominoplasty: The Impact of Surgical Procedure on Scar Location

Autologous breast reconstruction has been demonstrated to be associated with superior patient-reported outcomes, and hence is regarded as the gold standard reconstructive modality. A common drawback of this procedure, however, is related to a high abdominal scar. Recently, hybrid breast reconstruction (ie, the combination of autologous and implant-based reconstruction) was presented as an approach that would combine the benefits of both reconstructive modalities. In this study, we sought to assess abdominal aesthetic outcomes associated with this approach.

Thirty-two blinded reviewers evaluated standardized pre- and postoperative abdominal images of patients following autologous reconstruction with free abdominal flap (Group 1; N = 10), hybrid reconstruction (Group 2; N = 5), and abdominoplasty (Group 3; N = 10). Aesthetic abdominal appearance, including overall result, scar position, skin redundancy, and lateral abdominal contour, was rated on a 5-point Likert scale and a comparative analysis was performed.

Hybrid reconstruction was associated with significantly lower abdominal scars compared with Group 1 (P = 0.01), nearing results of patients in Group 3 (P = 0.39). Significantly higher aesthetic ratings were ascribed to Groups 2 and 3 when compared with Group 1 (P < 0.001) with regard to scar positioning (P < 0.001), skin redundancy (P < 0.001), and lateral abdominal contour (P < 0.001). No significant difference in aesthetic ratings was noted between Groups 2 and 3.

When applied to the appropriate patient population, hybrid breast reconstruction is a powerful method to achieve reconstructive goals while optimizing abdominal aesthetics. A significantly lower scar position was noted and higher abdominal aesthetic ratings were given following abdominoplasty and hybrid reconstruction compared with conventional abdominal flap-based reconstruction.