Mortality Rate in Breast Implant Surgery: Is an Additional Procedure Worthwhile to Mitigate BIA-ALCL Risk?

Fabio Santanelli di Pompeo, Michail Sorotos, Mark W. Clemens, Guido Paolini, Paolo Anibaldi, Marina Davoli, Giovanni Baglio, Luigi Pinnarelli, Margherita Ferranti, Francesco Cerza, Stefano Domenico Cicala, Guido Firmani

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Because of poor knowledge of risks and benefits, prophylactic explantation of high BIA-ALCL risk breast implant (BI) is not indicated. Several surgical risks have been associated with BI surgery, with mortality being the most frightening. Primary aim of this study is to assess mortality rate in patients undergoing breast implant surgery for aesthetic or reconstructive indication. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective observational cohort study, Breast Implant Surgery Mortality rate (BISM) was calculated as the perioperative mortality rate among 99,690 patients who underwent BI surgery for oncologic and non-oncologic indications. Mean age at first implant placement (A1P), implant lifespan (IL), and women's life expectancy (WLE) were obtained from a literature review and population database. RESULTS: BISM rate was 0, and mean A1P was 34 years for breast augmentation, and 50 years for breast reconstruction. Regardless of indication, overall mean A1P can be presumed to be 39 years, while mean BIL was estimated as 9 years and WLE as 85 years. CONCLUSION: This study first showed that the BISM risk is 0. This information, and the knowledge that BI patients will undergo one or more revisional procedures if not explantation during their lifetime, may help surgeons in the decision-making process of a pre-emptive substitution or explant in patients at high risk of BIA-ALCL. Our recommendation is that patients with existing macrotextured implants do have a relative indication for explantation and total capsulectomy. The final decision should be shared between patient and surgeon following an evaluation of benefits, surgical risks and comorbidities. 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 .

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)914-926
Number of pages13
JournalAesthetic Plastic Surgery
Volume47
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2023

Keywords

  • BIA-ALCL
  • Breast Explantation
  • Breast Implant Surgery
  • Macrotextured
  • Mortality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Mortality Rate in Breast Implant Surgery: Is an Additional Procedure Worthwhile to Mitigate BIA-ALCL Risk?'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this