1276 The Impact of Low BMI on Patient Reported Satisfaction Following Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators Flap Breast Reconstruction in a National Breast Cancer Centre in the Republic of Ireland

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Low-BMI patients are candidates for both implant and free autologous tissue breast reconstruction. However, deep inferior epigastric perforators (DIEP) flaps are not a popular option among thin women. The objective of this study was to evaluate patient reported outcomes among this patient’s population. Method A retrospective chart review was conducted for all the DIEP-based reconstruction performed over a five-year period between June 2016 and June 2021. Inclusion criteria included patients with BMI < = 25. Data collection included patients’ demographics, timing of surgery, laterality, number of pedicles, irradiation, complications and adjustments thereafter. After Ethical approval, patients were contacted to assess post-operative satisfaction using the Breast-Q ®. Results During the study period, 169 DIEP flap-based reconstruction were performed, a total of 59 patients fell in the low BMI category. Twenty-seven patients had immediate reconstruction and only 2 patients had bi-pedicled flap. The Average age was 48.8 years and average was BMI 23.3. The majority of our patients were non-smoker (n = 57) and didn’t receive adjuvant radiation (n = 43). Only 32.6% (n = 15) had adjustment. The unilateral reconstruction patients made 93.0% (n = 14) of those requiring adjustment with 60% of them (n = 9) undergoing lipofilling. The total response rate to the Breast-Q survey was 79.6% (n = 47). Overall Breast-Q scores showed high satisfaction with breasts with high overall levels of psychological, sexual, and physical wellbeing. Conclusions DIEP flap-based reconstruction was demonstrated to be a safe and aesthetic reliable procedure in our cohort, yielding high level of psychological, sexual and physical wellbeing.