The Use of Contralateral Autologous Breast Grafting Tissue In Breast Reconstruction: A New Approach

Abstract

Background: Breast reconstruction surgery is an exceptionally important tool for repair of defects and asymmetries caused by the various types of surgical breast cancer treatment. Reconstruction is indicated regardless of lesion location in the breast when a quadrantectomy or sector resection has been performed. Although several surgical techniques are available for reconstruction, we propose a method based on contralateral breast graft replacement to preserve shape and symmetry. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed with a sample of 42 women who had undergone quadrantectomy or wide resection, followed by radiation therapy, for treatment of breast cancer. The outcomes of interest were breast aesthetics and symmetry in the immediate postoperative period and after 3 months of radiation therapy. All patients were photographed preoperatively, pre-radiation therapy, and 3 months post radiation therapy. Before-and-after photographs were sent to four independent experts in the field, who, in a blinded manner, used a continuous visual analogue scale (VAS) of 0 to 10 to assess breast symmetry and aesthetic appearance. Results: The mean (SD) VAS score was 8.74 (0.75) for symmetry and 8.76 (0.80) for aesthetics (p>0.50 for both). Comparison of VAS scores assigned to preoperative and postoperative images revealed that autologous breast tissue grafting was useful. Conclusion: These findings suggest that, when combined with established techniques, autologous contralateral breast tissue grafting is a feasible alternative for breast reconstruction that provides satisfactory aesthetics and symmetry.