Does delayed immediate breast reconstruction lead to improved patients’ satisfaction?

M Paola Serra* Ng A, Townend A and Youssef M

Background: Immediate Breast Reconstruction (IBR) offers the best psychological and aesthetic outcome if radiotherapy is not required. If radiotherapy is required, Delayed Breast Reconstruction (DBR) may be preferable as there is less risk of complications.

It is challenging to predict the need of radiotherapy preoperatively.

Delayed-Immediate Breast Reconstruction (DIBR) can resolve this problem because definitive reconstruction is performed after completion of radiotherapy.

DIBR is a compromise between the psychological advantages of IBR and the benefit of delaying reconstruction until after completion of radiotherapy.

Therefore, it is expected that DIBR is also associated with high levels of patient satisfaction. 

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess patient satisfaction outcomes following DIBR, and to compare these to patient satisfaction outcomes following DBR and IBR. The hypothesis was that patient satisfaction following DIBR would be better than patients undergoing DBR, with similar satisfaction to patients undergoing IBR.

Methods: 78 patients undergoing DIBR, DBR and IBR were reviewed retrospectively and included in this study.

Anonymous Breast Q satisfaction questionnaires used by the Royal College of Surgeons of England were posted to DIBR patients and to patients who underwent DBR following stage 2 and IBR 6 months after surgery. 

Analysis: Outcome measures included breasts appearance, psychosocial, sexual and physical wellbeing. These were evaluated using a categorical scale then converted to a 0 to 100 scale with greater values indicating higher levels of satisfaction

Conclusion: Breast reconstruction successfully improved body image, physical, psychosocial and sexual well-being in all 3 cohorts of patients. However the DIBR group showed that scores for satisfaction with the breast were higher than for the IBR group.

Level of Evidence: Level III, well designed cohort analytic study. 

Keywords:

Published on: Dec 19, 2019 Pages: 103-111

Full Text PDF Full Text HTML DOI: 10.17352/2455-2968.000083
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