BREAST RECONSTRUCTION EXPANDER IMPLANT

Course overview

BREAST RECONSTRUCTION WITH IMPLANTS WAS FIRST DESCRIBED IN THE 1960S. WHILE INITIALLY DESCRIBED AS A SINGLE-STAGE PROCEDURE OF PERMANENT BREAST IMPLANT PLACEMENT, IT HAS NOW EVOLVED INTO TISSUE EXPANSION OVER SEVERAL WEEKS TO MONTHS WITH ULTIMATELY AN EXCHANGE OF THE TISSUE EXPANDER FOR THE PERMANENT IMPLANT. THIS IS A COMMONLY-UTILIZED OPTION FOR SELECTED PATIENTS UNDERGOING MASTECTOMY DUE TO THE RELATIVELY UNCOMPLICATED NATURE OF THE PROCEDURE, WHICH ADDS LITTLE EXTRA TIME TO THE INITIAL MASTECTOMY. THE EXPANDERS CAN ALSO BE PLACED AFTER INITIAL RESECTION AS A DELAYED REPAIR, WITH A SUBSEQUENT EXCHANGE FOR THE PERMANENT IMPLANT. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE ROLE OF TISSUE EXPANDERS IN BREAST RECONSTRUCTION, THEIR INDICATIONS, CONTRAINDICATIONS, POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS, AND METHODS TO INCREASE THEIR SUCCESSFUL USE.