Reconstruction of the Ptotic Breast Using Wise Pattern Skin Deepithelialization.

Reconstruction of ptotic or large breasts is challenging due to skin redundancy after skin-sparing mastectomy. Skin reduction can be performed with a long horizontal ellipse, but this often flattens the breast and leaves conspicuous scars medially on the chest. Wise pattern skin reduction is an effective technique for shaping, but excision of skin within the Wise pattern can lead to high rates of skin necrosis and implant exposure or infection. This study describes a technique where the Wise pattern skin is preserved, but deepithelialized, allowing apparent reduction of the skin with preservation of the subdermal plexus. This study reviews data for case series of 26 breasts in 15 patients who have undergone this technique with simultaneous prosthetic reconstruction using an expander.

A retrospective analysis of outcomes using three common methods for immediate breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: Breast reconstruction outcome studies typically evaluate satisfaction, complications, or aesthetic results. Some studies report better outcomes with autologous reconstruction, whereas other studies report no difference in outcomes across multiple reconstructive methods. METHODS: The authors retrospectively studied all patients undergoing immediate breast reconstruction over a 5-year period. Questionnaires were sent to all patients to assess satisfaction; preoperative bra size, height, and weight; smoking history; radiation history; length of stay; narcotic use; and recovery time. All charts were reviewed for complications. Four blinded reviewers performed aesthetic evaluations of patient results. RESULTS: One hundred eighty-six consecutive immediate breast reconstruction patients were surveyed. Charts and photographs were reviewed for complication data and aesthetic results. The survey response rate was 42 percent, including 48 of 106 expander/implant patients, 13 of 28 latissimus patients, and 18 of 52 transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneus (TRAM) flap patients. Patient satisfaction was rated as moderate or better for 93.8 percent of the expander/implant patients, 76.9 percent of the latissimus flap patients, and 83.3 percent of the TRAM flap patients. Expander/implant patients were significantly more satisfied than latissimus flap patients. Complication rates were 21.7 percent for expander/implant patients, 67.9 percent for latissimus flap patients, and 26.9 percent for TRAM flap patients. Reoperation rates were 11.3 percent for expander/implant patients, 10.7 percent for latissimus flap patients, and 5.8 percent for TRAM flap patients. Aesthetic scores were significantly higher for TRAM flap patients compared with expander/implant and latissimus flap patients. CONCLUSION: High satisfaction rates were seen across all three reconstructive groups, with the highest satisfaction levels seen in the expander/implant group, despite higher reoperation rates and lower aesthetic scores for this group.

Primary breast lymphoma in a patient with silicone breast implants: a case report and review of the literature.

Primary breast lymphoma is a rare disease. Estimated incidence is 72 to 910 cases per year. We report a patient who developed anaplastic large cell lymphoma in her breast adjacent to a silicone breast implant 14 years after elective breast augmentation. Metastatic work up revealed no other focus of disease. She was treated with systemic chemotherapy. Review of the literature revealed five cases of primary breast lymphoma associated with a breast implant. Patients presented with either a mass or a periprosthetic fluid collection an average of eight years after either silicone gel-filled or saline-filled breast implant placement. Diagnosis was obtained with either biopsy or aspiration. All patients had the same histological subtype, anaplastic large cell lymphoma. It is unlikely that any cause-effect relationship exists between breast implants and primary breast lymphoma since chance alone could easily account for the low incidence of primary breast lymphoma in patients with breast implants. However, a fluid collection around a breast implant may be a unique presentation for this population of patients. Clinicians should include malignancy in the differential diagnosis of periprosthetic fluid collections and periprosthetic masses. Useful diagnostic tests may include MRI, aspiration with cytology, and percutaneous or open biopsy.

Treatment of skeletally mature ovariectomized rhesus monkeys with PTH(1-84) for 16 months increases bone formation and density and improves trabecular architecture and biomechanical properties at the lumbar spine.

UNLABELLED: Histomorphometric studies of treatments for osteoporosis in humans are restricted to iliac crest biopsies. We studied the effects of PTH(1-84) treatment at the lumbar spine of skeletally mature ovariectomized rhesus monkeys. PTH increased bone turnover, rapidly normalized BMD, and increased vertebral compressive strength. PTH increased trabecular bone volume primarily by increasing trabecular number by markedly increasing intratrabecular tunneling. INTRODUCTION: Histomorphometric studies of the anabolic properties of PTH(1-84) (PTH) and related peptides in human bone are restricted to iliac crest biopsies. The ovariectomized (OVX) monkey is an accepted model of human postmenopausal bone loss and was used to study the effects of PTH treatment at clinically relevant skeletal sites. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Skeletally mature rhesus monkeys were OVX or sham-operated and, after a bone depletion period of 9 months, treated daily for 16 months with PTH (5, 10, or 25 microg/kg). Markers of bone formation (serum osteocalcin) and resorption (urine N-telopeptide [NTX]) and lumbar spine BMD were measured throughout the study. Trabecular architecture and vertebral biomechanical properties were quantified at 16 months. RESULTS: PTH treatment induced dose-dependent increases in bone turnover but did not increase serum calcium. Osteocalcin was significantly increased above OVX controls by 1 month. NTX was significantly elevated at 1 month with the highest dose, but not until 12 months with the 5 and 10 microg/kg doses. Lumbar spine BMD was 5% lower in OVX than in sham animals when treatment was started. All PTH doses increased BMD rapidly, with sham levels restored by 3-7 months with 10 and 25 microg/kg and by 16 months with 5 microg/kg. PTH treatment increased trabecular bone volume (BV/TV), primarily by increasing trabecular number, and dose-dependently increased bone formation rate (BFR) solely by increasing mineralizing surface. The largest effects on BV/TV and yield load occurred with the 10 microg/kg dose. The highest dose reduced trabecular thickness by markedly increasing intratrabecular tunneling. CONCLUSIONS: PTH treatment of OVX rhesus monkeys increased bone turnover and increased BV/TV, BMD, and strength at the lumbar spine. All PTH doses were safe, but the 10 microg/kg dose was generally optimal, possibly because the highest dose resulted in too marked a stimulation of bone remodeling.