Use of TIGR Synthetic Reabsorable Mesh in Primary Breast Reconstruction

In postmastectomy prosthetic breast reconstruction, materials such as acellular dermal matrix and synthetic meshes are used to support the implant or expander. The authors present a retrospective review of a synthetic TIGR mesh in primary prepectoral breast reconstruction while evaluating safety outcomes.

This is a retrospective single-surgeon series of adult female cancer patients who underwent TIGR single-stage direct-to-implant reconstruction or 2-stage tissue expander reconstruction with the use of TIGR mesh. Surgical complications including surgical site infection, wound dehiscence, mastectomy flap necrosis, hematoma or seroma requiring operative intervention, and reconstructive failure were monitored.

A total of 49 patients with 86 breast reconstructions were included in the study. All patients had unilateral cancer and underwent reconstruction between May 2023 and March 2024. There were 37 (75.5%) bilateral mastectomies with reconstruction and 12 (24.5%) unilateral mastectomies with reconstruction. The average age of patients was 53.5 years (range: 32-77 y) and body mass index was 25 kg/m² (range: 19-37 kg/m²). There were 44 direct-to-implant reconstructions and 42 tissue expander reconstructions. From the 86 breast reconstructions, there were 8 complications with an overall complication rate of 9.3%. This included 2 (2.3%) infections, 5 (5.8%) mastectomy skin necroses, and 1 (1.2%) hematoma. There were a total of 3 reconstructive failures requiring mesh and implant removal (3.5%).

We have shown that TIGR mesh has acceptable short-term outcomes in both single-stage and 2-stage implant-based primary breast reconstruction. Future studies should investigate its long-term efficacy, safety, and cost against comparable products.