Radiation Therapy and Immediate Breast Reconstruction

Patients who undergo breast reconstruction experience higher complication rates if they have had a history of radiotherapy. However, implant-based reconstruction confers significantly higher complication and reconstruction failure rates compared with autologous reconstruction. This article analyses the factors that contribute to the complications of the different breast reconstruction modalities and the strategies described to mitigate these problems.

Key points

  • Immediate breast reconstruction is directly affected by radiation therapy.

  • Immediate breast reconstruction can be either autologous or implant based.

  • Autologous breast reconstruction is the gold standard.

  • Implant-based reconstruction has significantly higher failure and complication rates than autologous reconstruction.

  • Complications can be mitigated by judicious timing of surgery and the use of adjuncts, such as acellular dermal matrices and fat grafting.

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Nov 21, 2017 | Posted by in Dental Materials | Comments Off on Radiation Therapy and Immediate Breast Reconstruction

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