Exploring Complication Rates: A Comparative Study of Breast Reduction and Combined Breast Reduction with Abdominoplasty

Panthea Pouramin; Todd Dow; Jason Williams

doi:10.1007/s00266-024-04040-y

Exploring Complication Rates: A Comparative Study of Breast Reduction and Combined Breast Reduction with Abdominoplasty

Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2024 Apr 29. doi: 10.1007/s00266-024-04040-y. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Panthea Pouramin¹, Todd Dow², Jason Williams²

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Medicine, Dalhousie Medical School, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. pn957921@dal.ca.
² Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

PMID: 38684537
DOI: 10.1007/s00266-024-04040-y

Abstract

Background: Despite a trend towards combining abdominoplasty with breast reduction surgery, so called "mommy makeovers", the safety of this combined approach has been the subject of debate, with previous research yielding conflicting results. We evaluated the risk for complications and revision associated with adding abdominoplasty to bilateral breast reduction surgery.

Methods: We conducted a 10-year single-center retrospective chart review of bilateral breast reduction patients in Nova Scotia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare the risk for complication and revision in patients with bilateral breast reduction to those with a concomitant abdominoplasty.

Results: Of the 1871 patients initially screened, 738 were included. 44 underwent a concomitant abdominoplasty procedure. Compared to the breast reduction alone group, patients with concomitant abdominoplasty were significantly older (47.5±9.9 vs. 42.8±13.2, p=0.004), had a higher BMI (28.1±4.4 vs. 25.8±3.1, p<0.001), and experienced longer operating room times (226±6 vs. 115±3 mins, p<0.001). In multivariate analysis, concomitant abdominoplasty did not increase the risk for breast-related (OR: 0.86 95%CI 0.43-1.7, p=0.668) or total complications (OR: 1.63, 95%CI 0.83-3.19, p=0.154). However, there was a trend towards an increased risk of breast revision (OR: 2.684, 95%CI 0.95-7.6, p=0.062) and a significantly increased risk of total revision (OR: 6.624, 95%CI 2.7-16.1, p<0.001). Moreover, patients with concomitant abdominoplasty experienced more follow-up visits (median: 4 vs. 3 visits, p=0.042).

Conclusion: In our single-center retrospective analysis, combining abdominoplasty with bilateral breast reduction did not increase the risk for breast, or total complications; however, it did increase the risk for total revisions.

Level of evidence iii: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266.

Keywords: Abdominoplasty; Breast reduction; Complications; Mommy-makeover; Safety.