Innovative Techniques: A Novel Technique for Intraoperative Estimation of Breast Implant Size in Aesthetic and Reconstructive Breast Surgery

• Published in: Aesthetic plastic surgery Vol. 32; no. 1; pp. 126 - 129
• Main Authors: Caulfield, Robert H., Niranjan, Niri S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer-Verlag 2008; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Breast Implantation - methods; Breast Implants; Breast surgery; Female; Humans; Innovative Technique; Intraoperative Care - methods; Mammaplasty - methods; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Otorhinolaryngology; Patient Satisfaction; Plastic Surgery; Prosthesis Design - methods; Prosthesis Fitting; Treatment Outcome; United Kingdom; Gauze swabs; Estimation of breast implant size; Intraoperative method; Novel technique
• ISSN: 0364-216X; 1432-5241
• DOI: 10.1007/s00266-007-9045-2

The estimation of breast implant size in both aesthetic and reconstructive surgery often is a matter of clinical and intraoperative trial and error, with subsequent differences in the resulting postoperative outcomes. Numerous techniques for preoperative estimation of implant size are in current use. However, although such techniques are inexpensive, they often are inaccurate and prone to error on the part of both the surgeon and the patient. Techniques for intraoperative estimation of breast implant size involve either the use of trial sizers or the surgeon’s own guesswork based on the preoperative consultation. A novel technique is presented that uses commonly available surgical gauze swabs. The senior author has applied this technique in both aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery for many years. This easily reproducible method is inexpensive and produces reliable and highly satisfactory results.