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Plasma-Treated Acellular Dermal Matrix in Nipple Reconstruction: A Retrospective Study
Jeonghee Kim1, Min Kim2, Boram You3
1Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, College of Medicine, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, 35015, Republic of Korea.
Background:
In nipple-areola complex (NAC) reconstruction, maintaining the projection and volume of the reconstructed nipple is so important.
Methods:
This study evaluates the effectiveness of plasma-treated human acellular dermal matrix (hADM) in maintaining nipple projection and volume after nipple reconstruction using the modified C-V flap technique. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 42 patients who received either plasma-treated (n=20) or plasma-untreated (n=22) hADM grafts from October 2022 to January 2025. Nipple volumes were measured immediately after surgery and at intervals of 1, 4, 8, and 24 weeks using Antera 3D® imaging.
Results:
The percentage of initial nipple volume maintained in the plasma-treated group was significantly greater than in the plasma-untreated group at 4 weeks (93.3% vs. 87.7%, p < 0.05), 8 weeks (87.3% vs. 78.6%, p < 0.01), and 24 weeks (85.9% vs. 74.9%, p < 0.005). At 1 week, volumes were similar (99.4% vs. 98.6%, p > 0.05). A reduction in revision rates was noted, though this was not statistically significant. The incidence of complications was comparable between the two groups.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that plasma treatment of hADM improves volume maintenance in nipple reconstruction.
Level Of Evidence Iv:
This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.
