Use of air-filled breast tissue expander in breast cancer reconstructive surgery

Background. Improved quality of life for patients diagnosed with breast cancer is a consequence of modern advances in oncology surgery and the overall advantage of performing function-sparing surgery. Breast reconstruction has become an important stage of rehabilitation for patients diagnosed with cancer undergoing complex or combined treatment. Aim. To evaluate a new technique for breast reconstruction using prepectoral placement of an air-filled tissue expander. Materials and methods. The article presents data from 155 (34.4 %) of 450 patients who underwent multistep delayed reconstructions, including the stage of installing a tissue expander, which was filled with air. All patients were evaluated before surgery and with different intervals between the stages of reconstruction by photographs in five angles with the patient»s consent. 155 patients underwent immediate breast reconstruction with the installation of a tissue expander prepectorally at the first stage. The cavity of the tissue expander was filled with air. Further, after the strengthening of the covering tissues, the air content was replaced with a saline solution. The average period of restoration of the image and likeness of the mammary gland was 7.6 months (the time from the installation of the tissue expander to its replacement with a permanent silicone endoprosthesis, including the stages of combined / complex treatment, is taken into account). Results. According to the study, no postoperative complications were observed in patients who underwent immediate two-stage breast reconstruction with prepectoral placement of an air-filled tissue expander. All patients received combined / complex treatment for breast cancer within the prescribed timeframe. Conclusion. This technology has been officially patented and is being actively implemented in clinical practice. This technology allows for control of the tissue expander expansion stage with the required pressure on the integumentary tissue and the ability to balance.