Breast reconstruction with tissue expander and definitive implant replacement

Abstract

For patients who are not suitable candidates for autologous breast reconstruction, the traditional approach has been a staged procedure, by first expanding the skin and chest wall musculature over a period of weeks and then exchanging the expander for a fixed volume implant. While this was conventionally a delayed procedure to be carried out once adjuvant treatments were completed, it is now routinely used in the immediate setting [1].