INCIDENCE OF CALCIFICATIONS IN THE BREAST AFTER SURGICAL REDUCTION AND LIPOSUCTION

Liposuction of the breast in combination with vertical mammaplasty was applied to 250 breasts among 386 reductions of large breasts performe d in 2 years (1989 to 1991). To evaluate the possible damage to the br east caused by this combined procedure, especially in terms of the occ urrence of the postoperative development of calcifications, a comparat ive study of preoperative and postoperative mammograms was undertaken in 60 randomly selected cases (120 breasts), 34 with and 26 without li posuction. Altogether, 13 calcifications (11 percent) were discovered during the 6- to 30-month follow-up, representing the lowest rate repo rted in the literature. Deep intraparenchymal calcifications were more frequent after liposuction; most (5 of 7) were macrocalcifications. N one could be confused with malignant calcifications because they were more scattered, more regular, and less numerous. Attempts to evaluate the fat content of breasts via preoperative mammography failed to prov e this examination a useful way to predict the viability of breast lip osuction.