Intra-operative techniques to reduce the risk of capsular contracture in patients undergoing aesthetic breast augmentation – A review

Abstract Background Capsular contracture is a significant complication following aesthetic breast augmentation. Efforts to reduce this incidence have focused on the surgical approach, implant selection and IV antibiotics. Intra-operative methods to reduce the risk have had less investigation. This review focuses on these interventions and will document evidence to support pocket irrigation, nipple shields, drains and the use of an implant insertion funnel. Methods A comprehensive review of Pubmed, Scopus and Embase was performed to identify relevant papers published since 2000. These were reviewed and pertinent papers selected. Data regarding the intervention and its impact were recorded and compared. Results Ten relevant studies were identified. A total of 11,772 patients were included in the studies, with a pooled capsular contracture rate of 2.54%. Six papers reported the use of antibiotic irrigation, two papers reported the use of drains, two the use of an insertion funnel, two the use of povidone-iodine and one the use of nipple shields. Antibiotic irrigation was shown to reduce capsular contracture 10 fold in two papers, have no effect in one and increase it in a further paper. However these changes did not persist after multivariate analysis. Conclusions There was limited evidence to support intra-operative techniques to reduce capsular contracture rate. Where available the literature tends to support the use of antibiotic and povidone-iodine irrigation, the use of insertion funnels and nipple shields and the avoidance of drains. However due to the poor quality of the evidence these findings should be treated cautiously.