Introduction: Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare autoinflammatory neutrophilic ulcerative skin disease, often developing after a trauma or surgical wounds. In the literature there are several reports of post-surgical PG (PSPG) of the breast. The authors of this article experienced an impressive case of PSPG after an aesthetic breast augmentation mastopexy. PSPG is a rare but severe complication in this elective aesthetic surgical procedure.
Method: A systematic review of the literature was performed, focusing on PSPG after aesthetic breast surgery (augmentation mammoplasty/mastopexy). The online databases Pubmed, Medline, and Cochrane were used and additionally a Google© search was conducted. We compared the data obtained from a systematic literature review to an index case of PSPG after esthetic augmentation mammoplasty.
Results: The literature search identified seven articles describing eight cases of PSPG after aesthetic breast surgery. In four of these cases augmentation mammoplasty had been carried out, in two cases mastopexy and in two cases augmentation mammoplasty and mastopexy (augmentation mastopexy). The patient we treated and describe in this paper underwent an augmentation mastopexy outside our clinic. Eight patients suffered from local disease, at the site of surgical wounds, one patient had disseminated disease. Leukocytosis was present in five cases (out of nine). Eight patients had received corticosteroid treatment, one patient refused such treatment. The duration of corticosteroid treatment was on average for 41 days (range 21-60 days). In all cases, the areola had been spared. Complete healing of PSPG was observed on average after 5 months (range 1.5 months-1 year).
Discussion: PSPG of the breast after aesthetic breast surgery is rare, but every plastic surgeon should consider this possibility, especially if skin disease develops post-surgery, mimicking wound infection that does not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment.
Conclusion: Although the literature does not recommend this step, implant removal is recommended by the authors because bacterial wound infection normally cannot be ruled out definitely in the early stages of disease. Additional surgical intervention should be limited to the absolute necessary and performed only under adequate systemic immunosuppressive therapy.