Simultaneous Salvage Auto-augmentation: Contemporary Strategy for Management of the Breast Explantation Patient

Abstract

Background: The treatment of patients requiring explantation of breast prostheses is a complicated clinical issue, for which a consensus regarding the best way forward is still evolving. We believe that simultaneous salvage auto-augmentation (SSAA) is a viable option for the treatment of patients with explantation. Methods: Sixteen cases (32 breasts) were reviewed over a 19-year period. The management of the capsule is based on intraoperative findings and not on preoperative evaluation because of the poor interobserver correlation of Baker grades. Results: The mean age and clinical follow-up duration were 48 years (range: 41-65) and 9 months, respectively. We observed no complications, and only one patient underwent unilateral surgical revision of the periareolar scar, under local anaesthesia. Conclusions: This study suggests that SSAA with or without autologous fat injection is a safe option for women undergoing explantation, with potential aesthetic and cost-saving benefits. In the current climate of public anxiety regarding breast implant illness, breast implant-associated atypical large cell lymphoma, and asymptomatic textured implants, it is anticipated that the number of patients desiring explantation and SSAA will continue to increase.