Type of Surgery
Information
Last updated: 02/17/2009
BOOKS
Ball, Adrian S., and Peter M. Arnstein. Handbook of BreastSurgery. London: Edward Arnold, 1999.
Berger, Karen J., and John Bostwick. A Woman's Decision:Breast Care, Treatment & Reconstruction,...
3rd edition. St. Louis: Quality Medical Publshers, 1998.
Bostwick, John. Plastic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery, 2nd edition. St. Louis: Quality Medical Publishers, 1999.
Engler, Alan M. BodySculpture: Plastic Surgery of the Body for Men and Women, 2nd edition. London: Hudson Pub., 2000.
PERIODICALS
Colville, R. J., N. R. McLean, C. A. Mallen, and L. McLean. "The Impact of Breast Augmentation on the Breast-screening Programme."British Journal of Plastic Surgery, 55, no. 7 (2002): 592–593.
Hudson, D. A. "Submuscle Saline Breast Augmentation: Are We Making Sense in the New Millenium?"Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery 26, no. 4 (2002): 287–290.
Jejurikar, S. S., J. M. Rovak, W. M. Kuzon Jr, K. C. Chung, S. V. Kotsis, and P. S. Cederna. "Evaluation of Plastic Surgery Information on the Internet."Annals of Plastic Surgery 49, no. 5 (2002): 460–465.
Smith, M., and K. Kent. "Breast Concerns and Lifestyles of Women."Clinics in Obstetrics and Gynecology 45, no. 4 (2002): 1129–1139.
ORGANIZATIONS
American Board of Plastic Surgery. Seven Penn Center, Suite 400, 1635 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-2204. (215) 587-9322.
American College of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
American College of Surgeons. 633 North Saint Claire Street, Chicago, IL 60611. (312) 202-5000.
American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. 11081 Winners Circle, Los Alamitos, CA 90720. (800) 364-2147 or (562) 799-2356.
American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 444 E. Algonquin Rd., Arlington Heights, IL 60005. (888) 475-2784.
OTHER
American Society of Cosmetic Breast Surgery. Information about Breast Surgery. [cited February 24, 2003]
National Library of Medicine. Breast Implants. [cited February 24, 2003]
Public Broadcasting System Breast Implants on Trial. [cited February 24, 2003]
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Breast Implants. [cited February 24, 2003]
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Other Information
Breast reconstruction is the rebuilding of a breast, usually in women. It involves using autologous tissue or prosthetic material to construct a natural-looking breast. Often this includes the reformation of a natural-looking areola and nipple. This procedure involves the use of implants or relocated flaps of the patient's own tissue.
The primary part of the procedure can often be carried out immediately following the mastectomy. As with many other surgeries, patients with significant medical comorbidities (high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes) and smokers are higher-risk candidates. Surgeons may choose to perform delayed reconstruction to decrease this risk. Patients expected to receive external beam radiation as part of their adjuvant treatment are also commonly considered for delayed autologous reconstruction due to significantly higher complication rates with tissue expander-implant techniques in those patients.
Breast reconstruction is a large undertaking that usually takes multiple operations. Sometimes these follow-up surgeries are spread out over weeks or months. If an implant is used, the individual runs the same risks and complications as those who use them for breast augmentation but has higher rates of capsular contracture (tightening or hardening of the scar tissue around the implant) and revisional surgeries.
In 1998, the Women's Health and Cancer Rights Act was passed mandating insurance coverage for breast reconstruction in the United States. Prior to this, many insurance carriers did not cover breast reconstructive surgery as they considered it cosmetic in nature. The act mandates insurance coverage for the surgery of the affected breast and also the contralateral side for purposes of symmetry1, 2
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