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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2018; 45(02): 196-203
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2017.00535
Communication

A decision-making method for breast augmentation based on 25 years of practice

Maurizio Bruno Nava
Department of Breast Surgery, Valduce Hospital, Como, Italy
Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
,
Giuseppe Catanuto
Multidisciplinary Breast Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera Cannizzaro, Catania, Italy
,
Nicola Rocco
Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy
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Introduction

Breast augmentation is the most commonly performed procedure in the field of aesthetic plastic surgery [1] [2]. Women considering breast enhancement are mostly interested in shape improvement: 29% wish to improve the size or volume of their breasts, 15% wish to improve the general shape, 29% wish to return to a previous shape (pre-breastfeeding), 32% would like to address sagging of their breasts, and 8% wish to improve symmetry.

Accurate preoperative planning is crucial for obtaining the best outcomes and for reducing the re-intervention rate. The entire decisionmaking process in breast augmentation was initially determined exclusively by the patient’s wishes and the surgeon’s preferences, making the choice of implant size, type of implant, implant position, and type of incision an arbitrary decision. This led to high re-intervention rates due to patients’ dissatisfaction with the implant size and other postoperative complications [3] [4] [5].

Many techniques aiming to refine the preoperative decision-making process for breast augmentation have been developed in the last 10 years, leading to a significant reduction of the re-operation rates [6] [7] [8]. Lower re-intervention rates are associated with the application of tissue-based planning methods and decision-making systems matching implants to patients’ tissues and breast dimensions [9] [10] [11] [12]. Herein, we present our planning method, which is derived from more than 25 years of experience in aesthetic breast surgery and involves matching the characteristics of patients’ tissues with their wishes. We schematized our planning method in an easy-to-use flow diagram to help the decision-making process in breast augmentation.

This invited manuscript is based on the topic of Maurizio Bruno Nava’s presentation at the PRS Korea 2016 meeting (November 19, 2016) in Seoul, Korea.




Publication History

Received: 11 March 2017

Accepted: 26 September 2017

Article published online:
22 May 2022

© 2018. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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