Surgery of congenital breast asymmetry - which objective parameter influences the subjective satisfaction with long-term results

  • Purpose Congenital breast asymmetry is a serious gynecological malformation for affected patients. The condition hits young women in puberty and is associated with socio-esthetic handicap, depression, and psychosexual problems. Surgical treatment is usually early in the patient's lifetime, so a long-term sustainable solution is important. Although postoperative outcome has been evaluated in several studies before, this study is the first to analyze which objective parameters have the greatest influence on subjective satisfaction with long-term results. Methods Thirty-four patients diagnosed with congenital breast asymmetry that underwent either lipofilling or implant therapy between the years of 2008 to 2019 were examined. On average, our collective comprised patients seven years after surgery. Data were mainly gathered through manual measurements, patient-reported outcome measures (Breast Q™), and breast volumetry based on 3D scans (Vectra® H2, Canfield Scientific). Results Among all analyzed parameters, only areolar diameter correlated significantly negatively with the subjective outcome satisfaction of the patient. Regarding the subjective assessment of postoperative satisfaction with similarity of the breasts, again the mean areolar diameter, but also the difference in areolar diameter and breast volume between the right and left breasts correlated significantly negatively. Conclusion Areolar diameter was revealed as being a significant factor influencing subjective long-term satisfaction in breast asymmetry patients. Moreover, 3D volumetry proves to be an effective tool to substantiate subjective patient assessments. Our findings may lead to further improvements to surgical planning and will be expanded in further studies.

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Metadaten
Author:Vivien NoisserORCiD, Andreas EigenbergerORCiD, Maximilian Weiherer, Stephan Seitz, Lukas PrantlORCiD, Vanessa BrébantORCiD
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-021-06218-0
Parent Title (English):Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Publisher:Springer Nature
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2021
Release Date:2021/10/29
Tag:3D volumetry; Congenital breast asymmetry; Lipofilling; Poland syndrome; Silicone implant
Pagenumber:8
Institutes:Fakultät Informatik und Mathematik
Fakultät Informatik und Mathematik / Regensburg Medical Image Computing (ReMIC)
Begutachtungsstatus:peer-reviewed
research focus:Lebenswissenschaften und Ethik
OpenAccess Publikationsweg:Hybrid Open Access - OA-Veröffentlichung in einer Subskriptionszeitschrift/-medium
Licence (German):Creative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International