부산대학교 도서관

Breast reconstruction after mastectomy for breast cancer, as an immediate or delayed procedure, is a highly requested procedure in our society. It means an important technical and artistic challenge for the professional and, after the traumatic cancer event, it also means an improvement of the global image and a fundamental help restoring the personal, social and psychological balance for the patient. Objectives. 1. To describe the differences of the clinical-pathological variables and the follow up variables between the different groups of techniques used for delayed breast reconstruction. 2. To study the parameters related to delayed breast reconstruction that impact the evaluation of the aesthetic results of the reconstruction. 3. To analyze which elements affect the patients´ evaluation of their reconstructions. 4. To investigate the most influential parameters in the specialists’ evaluation. 5. To establish, in an objective way, the parameters that impact the results obtained. Methodology. In this work, factors influencing patients satisfaction with their own reconstruction have been analyzed, we have deepened in the knowledge of the variables related to the results of delayed breast reconstruction, and the influence that those variables have in the final result has been studied, both in the specialist´s evaluations of the reconstructions and through mathematical models that would able us to get an objective assessment of the result. To do so, a descriptive statistical work was made for each variable and both qualitative and quantitative variables were studied. The potential relations between qualitative variables were assessed using the X2 Pearson test and residue analysis. The quantitative variables comparison was made testing the equality of means with the t-Student test or analysis of the variances when more than two groups were involved; their possible relations were assessed using the Pearson´s coefficient correlation. To calculate the differences between the reconstructed breast and the contralateral breast the Euclidean distance was used, as a methodological tool that, based on the differences between the different distances studied, was able to remark in an objective way and in a single number, the grade of symmetry achieved for each reconstruction. Conclusions. 1. Patients with delayed reconstruction that were reconstructed using an autologous method were younger, their tumors had bigger size, were most likely in need of RT, had more early complications with the reconstruction and needed less symmetrization surgery than those reconstructed with heterologous techniques. 2. The analysis of the variables related to the evaluation of the aesthetic results showed that the achievement of a higher symmetry had better aesthetics outcomes, both in an objective and in a subjective manner; volume was also important to view a result as symmetric and a proper breast projection was a marker of good symmetry. 3. Patients gave higher scores to their reconstructions compared to the specialists’ evaluations of the reconstructions, no matter the technique used. 4. The evaluations of the specialists were correlated with a proper symmetry more than with a good volume or projection. Autologous breast reconstruction obtained better aesthetic outcomes than heterologous breast reconstruction, in a statistical significant way. 5. In the study of the aesthetic results achieved, the analysis of the Euclidean distance is a valid tool and assesses a better result when lesser value is obtained.