Discussion. Shaping the breast in aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery: an easy three-step principle. Part III--reconstruction following breast conservative treatment.

摘要

Breast-conserving therapy remains as a frequently used option for women presenting with breast cancer. In women with larger breasts, the technique has particular advantage because the tumor can be adequately treated with little to no disturbance in the overall aesthetic appearance of the breast. However, in women with smaller breasts or in cases where a larger segment of breast parenchyma must be removed, the normal aesthetics of the breast can be unacceptably compromised. The subsequent delivery of postoperative radiation only serves to create additional deformity in these patients, often leaving a significant loss of breast volume, distortion in shape, a mal-positioned nipple-areola complex, and asymmetry. It is for these patients that the authors underscore the positive role the plastic surgeon can play in restoring the breast to an aesthetic form with appropriate symmetry. To this end, several points merit further comment.