Use of free flaps in aesthetic breast surgery: a single centre experience and literature review

Implant-based breast augmentation is one of the most performed procedures in aesthetic surgery, whereas autologous tissue application is confined to fat grafting as adjuvant procedure. The use of free flaps in cosmetic mammoplasties is not popular, but the number of reports in the literature is increasing. We believe that autologous tissue transfer for cosmetic purposes could be a valuable alternative for volume enhancement in selected conditions, especially following weight loss. In this paper, we provide a systematic literature review of the current literature of using autologous free flaps for breast augmentation in non-cancer patients, and we also report our experience on this topic to identify possible indications and criteria for the patients’ selection. PRISMA's guidelines have been followed for the literature review. In order to demonstrate the feasibility, safety and patient satisfaction with breast volume enhancement with autologous tissue, a retrospective single-centre study was conducted on women who underwent breast volume enhancement with autologous tissue. Patient's satisfaction was assessed with a visual analogue scale (VAS) creating an ad-hoc outcome scale, and the data were summarised with a descriptive statistic. Twelve patients were enrolled in the study. Weight loss was the main indication for surgery. The average length of procedure was 5.1 h, and the hospitalization was 2.3 days. After 12 month, the patient outcome was excellent in 2 cases, good in 9 cases and moderate in 1 case. Although further research is needed, the literature review and our case series show that the use of free flaps for breast volume enhancement is safe and gives a satisfactory outcome.