Impact of Radiation on Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction in Prepectoral Versus Submuscular Planes

Background Postmastectomy implant-based breast reconstruction (IBR) in the setting of radiation (XRT) comes with a high risk of perioperative complications regardless of reconstruction method. The aim of study was to identify the effects of XRT on IBR using a prepectoral versus submuscular approach. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed after institutional review board approval was obtained. Patients at a single institution who had 2-stage IBR from June 2012 to August 2019 were included. Patients were separated into 4 groups: prepectoral with XRT (group 1), prepectoral without XRT (group 2), submuscular with XRT (group 3), and submuscular without XRT (group 4). Patient demographics, comorbidities, and postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed. Results Three hundred eighty-seven breasts among 213 patients underwent 2-stage IBR. The average age and body mass index were 50.10 years and 29.10 kg/m2, respectively. One hundred nine breasts underwent prepectoral reconstruction (44 in group 1, 65 in group 2), and 278 breasts underwent submuscular reconstruction (141 in group 3, 137 in group 4). Prepectoral tissue expander placement was associated with higher complication rates in the radiated group (38.6% compared with 34.0% submuscular) and lower complication rates in the nonradiated group (26.2% compared with 29.2% submuscular), although significantly less explants were performed in prepectoral group, regardless of XRT status. The 3 most common complications overall were contracture (15.1% radiated, 10.4% nonradiated), infection (18.4% radiated, 11.9% nonradiated), and seroma (15.7% radiated, 10.9% nonradiated). Conclusions Two-stage, prepectoral tissue expander placement performs clinically better than submuscular in nonradiated patients compared with radiated patients; however, no statistical significance was identified. Prepectoral had a significantly less incidence of reconstructive failure than submuscular placement regardless of XRT status. Future larger-scale studies are needed to determine statistically significant difference in surgical approach.