RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Immediate implant reconstruction after mastectomy with submuscular implant placement is widely used in order to avoid implant exposure, capsular contracture and poor aesthetic result. Postoperative complications can be reduced by maintain mastectomy flap thickness and asses flap vascularity with near infrared imaging. The prepectoral reconstruction with polyurethane implants has been utilized with encouraging results. Postoperative patient satisfaction was assessed with the BREAST-Q scores in patients who underwent prepectoral reconstruction with polyurethane implants. Additionally the impact of mastectomy flap thickness on breast reconstruction was investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Breast Q-scores of satisfaction with the breast, the postoperative outcome and physical well-being of the chest in 70 patients underwent immediate implant breast reconstructions with prepectoral polyurethane implant were retrospectively reviewed. The correlation between mastectomy flap thickness and satisfaction with breast was analyzed. RESULTS: At 12-month follow-up the mean Q-score for satisfaction with breast was 71.73 (standard deviation: 13.31), and for physical well-being chest was 70.73 (standard deviation: 7.94). A positive linear correlation between mastectomy flap thickness and satisfaction with the breast was identified. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative Q-scores are encouraging in the use of polyurethane prepectoral implants in immediate breast reconstruction, especially in patients with "thick" mastectomy flaps.