Introduction

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons nowadays they perform 600% more breast augmentations then they did 15 years ago and the number is increasing. Not only is the number of operations increasing but also the number of methods. Although we do not have the exact data about situation in our country but the tendencies are definitely the same. That is why it is important to know which method gains the advantage over the others.

 

Aim of the study

The aim of the study was to compare different techniques of breast augmentation by evaluating duration of the operation duration of the hospitalization and postoperative complications.

 

Material and methods

381 patients underwent breast augmentation during the year 2006 to 2008 in the Center of Kaunas Plastic Surgery. 131 of them had chosen transaxillary incision: 95 submuscular placement and 36 subpectoral placement of an implant; 142 had chosen priareolar incision: 41 submuscular 89 dual plane and 12 subpectoral placement of an implant; 108 had chosen inframammary incision: 76 submuscular 23 dual plane and 9 subpectoral placement of an implant. The duration of the operation (minutes), the duration of the hospitalization (hours) and postoperative complications of each method were evaluated and compared. 

 

Results

The average duration of the operation (minutes) using transaxillary submuscular technique was 55, transaxillary subpectoral technique 62, periareolar submuscular 119, periareolar dual plane 115, periareolar subpectoral 112, inframammary submuscular 93, inframammary dual plane 102, inframammary subpectoral 174. The average hospitalization time (hours) using transaxillary submuscular technique was 50, transaxillary subpectoral technique 47, periareolar submuscular 73, periareolar dual plane 86, periareolar subpectoral 52, inframammary submuscular 72, inframammary dual plane 83, inframammary subpectoral 49. There were 1 capsular contracture (1%) in transaxillary submuscular group; 1 capsular contracture (3.3%) and 2 seromas (6.6%) in transaxillary subpectoral group; 2 capsular contractures (5%) and 2 (5%) seromas in periareolar submuscular group; 2 seromas (2.2%) and 3 haematomas (3.4%) in periareolar dual plane group; no complication in periareolar subpectoral group; 1 capsular contracture (1.3%) and 3 seromas (4%) in inframammary submuscular group; 1 seroma (4.3%) in inframammary dual plane group; no complications in inframammary subpectoral group.

 

Conclusions

1. The shortest operation time was achieved when incision had been made transaxillary and the implant had been placed submuscular.

2. Patients spent least time in the hospital when the implant had been placed subpectoral transaxillary.

3. There were no capsular contractures in dual plane group although it had some haematomas, also there were least seromas in submuscular group.