[Long-term outcome after surgical treatment of breast asymmetry: analysis of the patient's perspective in 51 cases].

INTRODUCTION: Literature provides 3 studies only investigating the long-term outcome after surgical correction of breast asymmetry. The goal of this study was to analyse from a patient's perspective, which factors influence postoperative satisfaction most. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients undergoing surgical treatment for breast asymmetry between 2000 and 2009 were included. With help of the visual analogue scale the patients conducted a subjective assessment of their own long-term result using the following parameters: overall satisfaction, symmetry, size, shape, scarring and sensitivity. Anthropometric measurements of the breasts followed.
RESULTS: 51 patients (80% follow-up) were seen 2-11 (mean 5±2.5) years postoperatively. The following mean values were recorded for overall satisfaction 8.31 (±1.91), symmetry 7.86 (±2.25), size 8.42 (±1.93), shape 8.12 (±2.03), scarring 7.82 (±1.94) and sensitivity 7.92 (±2.19). Overall satisfaction increased significantly with good scores for the parameters symmetry [p=0.01] and shape [p=0.048]. Neither size [p=0.46] nor scarring [p=0.69] nor sensitivity [p=0.34] had a statistically significant influence on overall satisfaction. Furthermore, overall satisfaction did not depend on the surgical technique, preoperative size, preoperative asymmetry, age of the patient at time of surgery, period of time between the operation and the assessment, resected weight (absolute and difference between left and right) or on postoperative symmetry of the nipple areola complex.
CONCLUSION: In our patients, long-term overall satisfaction after surgical correction of breast asymmetry was primarily dependent on symmetry and shape. Size, scarring and sensitivity did not have a statistically significant influence on postoperative overall satisfaction. This also applied to preoperative size, preoperative extent of asymmetry, age of the patient at time of surgery, surgical technique and the time span between the operation and the assessment. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.