Correction of tuberous breast deformity: A retrospective study comparing lipofilling versus breast implant augmentation

Breast implants and, more recently, autologous fat grafting are the two most common treatments used to correct tuberous breast deformity (TBD). The post-surgical quality of life between the two techniques is not well demonstrated. This study aimed to compare satisfaction and health-related quality of life in patients affected by TBD between these two techniques. All TBD patients operated between January 2008 and May 2015 were retrospectively identified, and only those treated with implants or lipofilling were included. Satisfaction was evaluated at least 6 months after surgery with the postoperative Breast-Q (R) augmentation module. From January 2008 to May 2015, 62 patients were recruited in our study, and 37 patients were evaluated using a Breast-Q questionnaire after at least 6 months of follow-up. Breast implant-augmented patients were significantly more satisfied concerning the "satisfaction with breasts" module (p = 0.002) and the "satisfaction with outcome" module (p = 0.00008). A question-by-question analysis revealed several interesting and significant differences, showing higher scores in most of the questions in the breast implant group. Patients in the lipofilling group, interestingly, had a mean of 1.6 interventions compared to the mean 1.36 interventions in the implant group (p = 0.23). This reflects the need to perform more surgical sessions in the lipofilling group to achieve a satisfactory result. Our study demonstrated that tuberous breast correction with implants can achieve better satisfaction along with good outcomes than lipofilling usually does. (C) 2017 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.