INTRODUCTION: Breast reconstruction can present an unsatisfactory aesthetic result or complications that could compromise the final result. In such cases, surgeons can perform salvage breast reconstruction, which is defined as a complete revision of a previous reconstruction in the case of failure or an unsatisfactory result from the first reconstruction. This study aims to report the authors' experience in performing salvage breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of medical records of patients who underwent salvage breast reconstruction from March 2002 to March 2012. RESULTS: We identified 57 cases of salvage breast reconstruction. Twenty initial surgeries were performed with prostheses, 16 with transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps (TRAMs), 11 with expanders, 4 with conservative methods, and 6 with myocutaneous latissimus dorsi muscle flaps (LDMFs). The main cause of reconstruction failure was aesthetic, followed by necrosis, capsular contracture, and implant infection and/or exposure. Salvage reconstruction was performed using LDMF in 27 patients (P < 0.0001), TRAM in 16, and alloplastic material in 14 patients. In 57.9% of cases, the surgeon who performed the salvage reconstruction did not perform the initial reconstruction. CONCLUSIONS: Most surgeries that had unsatisfactory results, mainly because of poor aesthetics, were performed using alloplastic materials. Salvage reconstructions were performed primarily using myocutaneous flaps by professionals other than those who performed the initial surgery. These flaps have good applicability in salvage reconstructions because they provide healthy and well-vascularized tissue in a previously operated area.
Mammaplasty; Breast; Breast neoplasms; Surgical flaps
