What are the potential risks associated with breast reconstruction?

Question:

What are the potential risks associated with breast reconstruction?

Answer:

The risks of breast reconstruction really depend on the type of reconstruction. First, keep in mind that all surgeries have general risks, such as infection, bleeding, hematoma, poor healing, poor scarring, poor cosmetic outcome, and the possible need for revision or future stages. Next, remember that surgeries have medical or anesthetic risks, such as death, heart attack, stroke, aspiration/pneumonia, blood clots which can break off and go to the lungs, or other unforeseen allergic or medical reactions. On top of that are the specific risks of any particular surgery. For all breast surgeries, one must consider asymmetry, malposition, and an unnatural look or feel. For breast implant reconstructions, there is a very significant risk of capsular contracture (hardness around the implant) which can lead to asymmetries and poor cosmesis. There is also a risk of infection leading to implant removal after surgery. Tissue based reconstruction has some of the above cosmetic risks, but also adds the risk of blood supply interruption to the new breast causing death of the breast, which of course can be a complete failure.