Impact of the withdrawal of macrotextured implant on reconstruction practices.

INTRODUCTION: On 22 November 2018, the French Society for Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery recommended that Allergan® macrotextured breast implants be recalled, a decision endorsed by the French national health products safety agency (ANSM) on 2nd April 2019. At the Georges-François Leclerc Cancer Center (CGFL) in Dijon, we decided to stop using macrotextured implants as of November 2018 in favor of smooth implants. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of the recall of macrotextured implants on breast reconstruction surgical practices and their complications. METHODS: This is a single-centre, retrospective study performed at the CGFL in Dijon, France. Reconstruction techniques and complications were compared between two periods, i.e. before the recall of macrotextured breast implants (period 1: 1st September 2017-November 22, 2018) and after the recall (period 2: 23 November 2018-31st March 2020). All patients who underwent breast reconstruction for the first time were included. RESULTS: Data were collected from 168 reconstructions in period 2, and 159 in period 2. The rate of use of breast implants during reconstructions decreased significantly in period 2 (53.6% vs. 23.9%; P<0.001). The rate of autologous reconstructions increased significantly for muscle sparing latissimus dorsi (2.4% vs. 12.6%; P<0.001) and exclusive fat grafting (9.5% vs. 21.5%; P<0.01). Clavien-Dindo Stage IIIb complications decreased in period 2 (10% vs. 18.4%; P=0.04). CONCLUSION: Since the recall of macrotextured breast implants, the reconstruction rate has decreased in our centre in favor of autologous techniques with lower complication rates.

Evaluation of post-operative complications and adjuvant treatments following immediate prepectoral versus subpectoral direct-to-implant breast reconstruction without acellular dermal matrix.

BACKGROUND: In immediate breast reconstruction (IBR), it is unclear whether there is any difference in the complication rates between prepectoral versus subpectoral implant placement without acellular dermal matrix (ADM). AIM: To compare the rates of early post-operative complications and time to initiation of adjuvant treatment in patients undergoing IBR between prepectoral and subpectoral implant placement without ADM for the two surgical procedure. METHODS: We retrospectively retrieved data of patients who underwent IBR with prepectoral versus subpectoral implant placement between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2022 in a large cancer center in France. RESULTS: We included 192 patients: 119 in the prepectoral and 73 in the subpectoral group. Their clinical characteristics were similar. Thirty patients (15.6%) received adjuvant chemotherapy, among them 27 (14.1%) received it within 12 weeks, and there was no difference between the groups (p = 0.12). In the prepectoral group, 39 patients (32.8%) received adjuvant radiotherapy versus 5 (6.8%) in the subpectoral group (p < 0.001), but there was no significant difference in time to treatment commencement. Overall, 35 patients (29.4%) in the prepectoral group and 17 (23.3%) in the subpectoral group experienced post-operative complications (p = 0.44). Using multivariable analysis, the only factor associated with post-operative complications was determined to be mastectomy weight (odds ratio 1.98 (1.10-3.59) for weight ≥500 g; p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: Prepectoral implant placement without ADM can be proposed to patients undergoing IBR with an indication for adjuvant treatment. However, in our study, the reoperation rate with this technique was slightly higher (p = 0.008). This is partly due to the learning curve for surgeons using this new technique.

[Updated indications and techniques for immediate breast reconstruction, particularly in the case of adjuvant radiotherapy]. / Actualisation des indications et techniques de reconstruction mammaire immédiate, notamment en cas de radiothérapie adjuvante.

In 2023, 62,000 patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in France. Every year, 22,000 mastectomies are performed. Breast reconstruction (BR) should be an integral part of breast cancer management. Yet the MR rate in France is only 28% within 3 years of mastectomy, of which 14% are immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). The number of contraindications to RMI has steadily declined over the last few decades, although some of them remain definitive, such as inflammatory cancer (T4d). Today, many specialists involved in the management of breast cancer consider that IBR can be proposed in cases where adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy is indicated, if it is not expected to delay carcinological management. The surgical team must then inform the patient of all available BR techniques. If a team does not offer a particular technique, the patient should be referred to a center that does. In all cases, the proposal for curative and reparative treatment should be the subject of a multidisciplinary discussion involving, in particular, a surgeon, a radiotherapist and a medical oncologist. When adjuvant radiotherapy is indicated, the patient must be informed of the increased risk of complications and deterioration of the aesthetic result. In this indication, RMI by prosthesis is a validated technique. However, if the patient has a history of radiotherapy, autologous techniques should be preferred. In a context of shared decision-making, the choice of whether or not to undergo MR and the type of technique must ultimately be made by the patient, in agreement with the multidisciplinary team.

Limbs and trunk soft tissue sarcoma systematic local and remote monitoring by MRI and thoraco-abdomino-pelvic scanner: A single-centre retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare malignant tumors that require management by an expert center. Monitoring modalities are not consensual. The objective of our study is to report systematic radiological monitoring data obtained by local MRI and by thoracic-abdominal-pelvic computed tomography (TAP CT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: 113 consecutive patients managed at "Centre Georges François Leclerc, Dijon", between 2008 and 2016, for an initially localized STS were included. Patient follow-up consisted of a local MRI and a TAP CT. Follow-up exams schedule was initially every 4 months during 2 years, followed by every 6 months during 3 years and finally every year during 5 years. RESULTS: Median follow-up time was 37.2 months [min = 2.4 - max = 111.6]. After 5 years of surveillance, local recurrence (LR) rate was 8.8% and diagnosed by imaging in 60% of cases. No deep LR was clinically found. Median LR diagnosis time was 23.9 months [min = 2.0 - max = 52.4]. 50% of patients locally treated for their LR were alive without recurrence. Metastatic recurrence (MR) rate was 31%. 42.8% had extra-pulmonary involvement and 17.1% had exclusive extrathoracic metastases. The median time to diagnosis of MR was 17.4 months [min = 2.7- max = 77.2]. High-grade tumors relapsed more (20.4%) and earlier (all before the 5th year) than low grade. CONCLUSION: Local MRI seems particularly suitable for monitoring deep tumors. In addition, the systematic monitoring by TAP CT highlighted a limited number of cases of exclusive extrathoracic metastases. The schedule of local and remote monitoring should primarily be adjusted to tumor grade.

Indocyanine green applications in plastic surgery: A review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: Use of indocyanine green (ICG) near-infrared fluorescence as a dye to assess tissue vascularization is now well standardized. The aim of this literature review was to review and resume the most recent recommendations for ICG use in its plastic surgery applications. METHODS: A systematic literature review was performed using Medline, EMBASE, and PubMed databases to obtain the latest recommendations for ICG in plastic surgery. Inclusion criteria were all articles written in English language that evaluated pre-, intra-, or postoperative ICG applications in surgical procedures usually performed by plastic surgeons. Case reports, reviews, meta-analyses, and experimental studies on animals or cadavers were excluded after title and abstract screening. RESULTS: Of the 1389 article titles retrieved, 41 full-text articles met the inclusion criteria. ICG applications in plastic surgery were ICG lymphangiography used in sentinel lymph node mapping for breast cancer and melanoma and in microsurgery for the staging and treatment of secondary chronic lymphedema. The latest updates of ICG angiography in assessing free flaps, pedicled flaps, or large skin paddles were also retrieved. CONCLUSIONS: Large prospective studies suggest that ICG lymphography could be used as a single tracer to reliably perform sentinel lymph node biopsy. In the case of cutaneous melanoma, ICG lymphography increases node detection sensitivity and accuracy in conjunction with lymphoscintigraphy. In chronic lymphedema, it is useful for pre- and postoperative staging and intraoperative anatomical location of lymphatic pathways when lymphovenous bypass is indicated. ICG angiography is used intraoperatively to assess free flap anastomosis and design skin paddles and postoperatively to monitor buried flaps. In pedicled perforator flaps or for large skin paddles, intraoperative ICG angiography is strongly correlated with postoperative outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Patient age and breast resection weight affect immediate postmastectomy breast reconstruction in ductal carcinoma in situ.

PURPOSE: Mastectomy is necessary for 40% of the ductal carcinoma in situ. If immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) is systematically proposed, 81% of the patients would choose immediate versus delayed breast reconstruction, but the actual IBR rate is only approximately 50% of them. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify objective characteristics that distinguish the patients who actually underwent IBR from those who did not. METHODS: Several criteria of 248 patients who have undergone mastectomy for ductal carcinoma were analyzed. Factors studied were age, body mass index, diabetes, tobacco use, and weight of the specimen of resection. RESULTS: The rate of IBR was 43%. An increase in age and weight of the resection specimen, irrespective of the body mass index, was associated with a lower rate of IBR. Thus, an increase of 100 g in the weight of the breast induces a significant reduction of the IBR (33%). CONCLUSIONS: In our series, older patients or patients with larger breasts (irrespective of the body mass index) were less likely to undergo IBR. In order to be in line with the patient's desire, the surgeons of our unit should broaden their indications of IBR. The lack of reconstruction of large breasts should certainly be compensated in part with the recent development of free tissue transfers in our unit. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.