Surgical therapy of breast hypertrophy: a comparison of complications and satisfaction rate in large and small superior pedicle custom-made reduction mammaplasty.

[OBJECTIVE] The reduction mammaplasty is indicated for patients with symptomatic breast hypertrophy. Although surgery is considered the gold standard treatment, it is still debated which is the complication rate and whether or not there is an increased complication rate with increased tissue resection per breast. The main objective of this retrospective study was to determine whether the rates of complications are higher in large reductions (≥2000 g per breast) as compared with smaller reductions (≤1999 g per breast) using the superior pedicle custom-made technique.

[PATIENTS AND METHODS] A retrospective study of 90 consecutive operated patients was performed. All the patients underwent a bilateral breast reduction for macromastia. 43 patients had a reduction of 1999 g or less and 47 patients had a reduction of 2000 g or more.

[RESULTS] There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of nipple necrosis, hematoma, seroma, wound dehiscence, wound infection, loss or reduction of nipple sensation, and a pathologic scar between the large and small resections.

[CONCLUSIONS] The large reduction patients pointed higher mean satisfaction rate than the small reduction patients. The superior pedicle custom-made technique is a safe method of breast reduction regardless of the degree of parenchymal resection, achieving a successful aesthetic outcome with minimal scarring and high satisfaction rate for both small and large breast reduction.