Treatment of symptomatic macromastia in a breast unit. Outcomes analysis of breast reduction using BREAST-Q

Abstract

Introduction: The BREAST-Q (breast reduction module) is a specific and validated questionnaire to evaluate breast reduction in the treatment of symptomatic macromastia, offering information on their quality of life and degree of satisfaction.

Methods: Prospective study of a cohort of 34 patients treated by bilateral breast reduction in a breast unit in 2017-2020 surveyed with the Spanish version of BREAST-Q version 2. The statistical study to assess the effect of reduction, changes from the pre to postoperative scores of the domains were performed using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. Statistical significance was determined with p values ​​<0.05.

Results: The mean time elapsed from surgery to the postoperative survey was 16 (SD 9) months. Post-surgical complications or sequelae occurred in 14 (42%) patients with 23 events. The preoperative scores, median and interquartile range, in satisfaction with the breasts (28, 26), psychological (33, 14), physical (42, 19) and sexual (34, 14) well-being improved in the postoperative survey to (82, 15), (81.29), (82, 30) and (90, 38), respectively. These changes were statistically significant, p < 0.001.

Conclusions: The first application of the BREAST-Q in its version in Spanish for Spanish women in patients with symptomatic macromastia treated surgically in a breast unit shows that breast reduction improves the quality of life of patients and that they are very satisfied with the outcome of the surgery and its surgeon, although the information received should clearly be improved.

Keywords: Anormalidades mamarias; Breast anormalities; Hipertrofia; Hypertrophy; Mammaplasty therapeutic use; Mamoplastia terapéutica; Patient-reported outcome; Resultados comunicados por las pacientes.