Breast reconstruction through exclusive lipomodeling or in addition to a flap: Current status in Franche-Comté

Abstract

Breast reconstruction after cancer surgery through lipomodeling can be performed alone or in combination with a flap. Our objective is to describe the proportion of techniques used on patients who underwent autologous reconstructive surgery after tumorectomy or mastectomy in Franche-Comté. A bicentric retrospective observational study was conducted between October 2017 and December 2021 (NCT06101732), including three groups: those who underwent exclusive lipomodeling reconstruction after mastectomy (1) or in addition to a flap (2), and those who underwent exclusive lipomodeling reconstruction after tumorectomy (3). Socio-demographic, medical, and surgical data were collected and recorded in a specially designed software. Two hundred and fifty-one lipomodeling procedures were performed on 91 patients. In group 1, the average transferred volume was 1191mL with an average number of sessions of 4.4 spreads over 19.4months. In group 2, the average transferred volume was 676mL with an average operative time of 2.5 spread over 16.1months. In group 3, the average transferred volume was 223mL with an average number of sessions of 1.5 spreads over 6.2months. Regarding postoperative complications, 11% had cysts of fat necrosis, 4.4% had infections, and 2.2% had hematomas. Lipomodeling is a technique that has clearly established itself in the field of breast reconstructive surgery. It results in a few complications and improves the final aesthetic outcome whether used exclusively or in addition to a flap.