A Two-Step Technique for Correction of Severe Inverted Nipples with Minimally Invasive Procedures.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Congenital inverted nipple is not uncommon in Asian females, which impairs the patient's psychology and breastfeeding function. Although various methods have been reported in references, no consensus has been reached on an ideal treatment for severe inverted nipples. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to propose a minimally invasive and reliable method that could correct severe inverted nipples, reduce their recurrence rate, and create a definite nipple neck for a natural shape. METHODS: We designed a two-step technique to correct severe inverted nipples, including congenital grade III inversion and recurrent grade III inversion with or without scar adhesion after correction with different methods from other hospitals. A retrospective study was performed on 38 patients (68 nipples) who underwent the new two-step technique in our department. The follow-up time was at least 6 months. Patient demographics, operation details, and complication rate were documented. RESULTS: A total of 68 nipples in 38 patients (bilateral 30 patients; unilateral 8 patients) received correction, among which there were four recurrent cases from other hospitals treated with different methods. In this study, the total recurrence rate was 7.89%. In these cases, the nipple exhibited the appearance of Grade I inversion, but not back to the preoperative state of Grade III. There was one case that suffered exposure of thread knot. CONCLUSIONS: The two-step technique is a minimally invasive method to successfully correct severe inverted nipples with a low recurrence rate and achieve a natural shape with a definite nipple neck. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE IV This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .