Outcomes of Extended Pedicle Technique vs Free Nipple Graft Reduction Mammoplasty for Patients With Gigantomastia

Optimal reduction mammoplasty techniques to treat patients with gigantomastia have been debated and can involve extended pedicles (EP) or free nipple grafts (FNG).

The authors compared clinical, patient-reported, and aesthetic outcomes associated with reduction mammoplasty employing EP vs FNG.

A multi-institutional, retrospective study of adult patients with gigantomastia who underwent reduction mammoplasty at 2 tertiary care centers from 2017 to 2020 was performed. Gigantomastia was defined as reduction weight >1500 g per breast or sternal notch-to-nipple distance ≥40 cm. Surgeons at 1 institution employed the EP technique, whereas those at the other utilized FNG. Baseline characteristics, preoperative and postoperative BREAST-Q, and clinical outcomes were collected. Aesthetic outcomes were assessed in 1:1 propensity score-matched cases across techniques. Preoperative and postoperative photographs were provided to reviewers across the academic plastic surgery continuum (students to faculty) and non-medical individuals to evaluate aesthetic outcomes.

Fifty-two patients met the inclusion criteria (21 FNG, 31 EP). FNG patients had a higher incidence of postoperative cellulitis (23% vs 0%, P < 0.05) but no other differences in surgical or medical complications. Baseline BREAST-Q scores did not differ between groups. Postoperative BREAST-Q scores revealed greater satisfaction with the EP technique (P < 0.01). The aesthetic assessment of outcomes in 14 matched pairs of patients found significantly better aesthetic outcomes in all domains with the EP procedure (P < 0.05), independent of institution or surgical experience.

This multi-institutional study suggests that, compared with FNG, the EP technique for reduction mammoplasty provides superior clinical, patient-reported, and aesthetic outcomes for patients with gigantomastia.