Summary
A retrospective study was undertaken to evaluate whether the initial outcome of two
types of reduction mammaplasty techniques (vertical scar reduction mammaplasty vs.
the inverted-T scar reduction mammaplasty) remains stable in the long term:
Sixty-nine patients who had undergone breast reduction surgery in the period 1997–2000
at the Department of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at the Medical Center of Leeuwarden
were willing and able to participate in this study.
A structured questionnaire was used to assess the degree of patient satisfaction.
For subjective evaluation, the Strasser Grading System on photographs at the 3 months
after surgery and after long-term follow-up (10 years) was used.
The median general appreciation mark for the entire surgical procedure given by patients
was 8 (1–10) on a scale from 1 to 10.
Forty-six of the 69 patients could be scored according to Strasser: at 3 months in
17 patients (37%) the result was ‘good’, in 21 patients (46%) ‘mediocre’ and in eight
patients (17%) ‘poor’. After 10 years, in 37 of the patients (80%) the result was
‘good’, in six patients (13%) ‘mediocre’ and in three patients (7%) ‘poor’.
At 3 months, there was a higher incidence of bottoming out in the vertical scar group
(one on two patients) as compared to the inverted-T scar group (one on 10 patients);
however, at the 10-years follow-up bottoming out was 50% in the inverted-T scar group
and 20% in the vertical scar group.
Despite bottoming out, in both the vertical scar reduction mammaplasty technique and
the inverted-T scar reduction mammaplasty technique, high patient satisfaction rates
are achieved that remains for years.
Keywords
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References
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 04, 2012
Accepted:
April 26,
2012
Received:
September 3,
2011
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- Pedicle particularsJournal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic SurgeryVol. 66Issue 8
- PreviewWe read with interest the above retrospective study on the initial and long term compared outcomes of the vertical scar and the inverted T scar reduction mammaplasties. We commend the authors on the long term follow up of their patient cohort and on the findings of their study which show that at 10 years bottoming out was 50% in the inverted T scar group and 20% in the vertical scar group. This study is a useful adjunct to encourage the use of the vertical scar technique in the long term prevention of bottoming out of mammaplasty techniques as it somewhat contradicts what previous results have shown - higher complications with vertical scar reductions particularly when the patients BMI is greater than 30.
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