Quantifying Surgical Complications for Reduction Mammaplasty in Adolescents

Abstract

Background: Reduction mammaplasty is a safe, effective procedure to alleviate symptoms of adolescent macromastia. However, there remain limited data on surgical complications associated with reduction mammaplasty in adolescents, which may not be concordant with those cited for adults seeking reduction mammaplasty.

Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all consecutively performed reduction mammaplasty cases for symptomatic macromastia in patients aged 20 years and younger over a 7-year period from 2014 to 2021.

Results: One hundred sixty total breasts were analyzed in 80 patients. Mean age was 18.3 ± 1.4 years, with an age range from 15 to 20 years. Mean body mass index was 27.17 ± 5.49 kg/m 2 . Mean reduction weight was 584.79 ± 261.19 g. A medial pedicle was used in 91%, and an inferior pedicle was used in 9%. For skin incision, a Wise pattern was used in 60%, and a short-scar was used in 40%. There was a 16.3% rate of any surgical complication, which included wound healing by secondary intention treated with local wound care. There were no significant risk factors for a surgical complication in reduction mammaplasty, and no differences in surgical complications related to skin incision type, pedicle use, or breast reduction weight. Performance of a receiver operating characteristic curve for age at surgery and complication demonstrated that there was no age cutoff where the risk of surgical complication was appreciably increased or decreased.

Conclusions: Age was not identified as a risk factor for surgical complications in adolescent reduction mammaplasty. Overall, complication rates were very low and minor in nature for adolescent reduction mammaplasty, with no significant risk factors identified.

Clinical question/level of evidence: Risk, III.