How the Strategy of Breast Reconstruction Changed in Our Hospital after the Allergan Crisis

Abstract

Introduction : On July 25th 2019, the FDA announced a recall for Allergan's Biocell silicone breast implants (SBI) and tissue expanders (TE) . After the recall of these products, breast reconstruction using SBI and TE was stopped. We investigated how the strategy for breast reconstruction at our institute changed after this Allergan crisis.

Methods : One hundred and fifty-eight cases of tissue expander use between January 1st 2019 and July 24th 2019 were included in this study. The reconstruction method, surgery schedule and primary reconstruction plan were investigated.

Results : There were 87 cases of breast reconstruction with autologous tissue transfer, 36 cases of SBI, 25 cases of TE removal and 11 cases of undecided reconstruction. Approximately 30% of planned SBI reconstruction cases were switched to autologous tissue reconstruction.

Conclusion : The Allergan crisis increased the number of cases of autologous breast reconstruction. Patients may prefer to choose breast reconstruction with a lower risk of ALCL, and have a negative image of breast reconstruction using artificial materials.