Motivations, satisfaction, and information of immediate breast reconstruction following mastectomy

This study evaluated patients' motivations for, and satisfaction with, the treatment and information of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR) with a s ilicone prosthesis. It studied satisfaction more deeply by relating it to t he quality of life, body-image and sexual functioning. Seventy-three patien ts who received mastectomy, followed by IBR with a subpectoral silicone pro sthesis, completed a self-report questionnaire concerning their motivations for, perceived advantages of and satisfaction with IBR, the information re ceived, quality of life, body image, and sexual functioning. Despite the fa ct that 50% of the reconstructions resulted in complications or complaints, 70% of the women were satisfied with the reconstruction and only 12% would never choose IBR again. Satisfaction was strongly correlated with the need for information. The higher the patient's expectations, the higher their n eed for information. The most common perceived advantage of IBR was the avo idance of an external prosthesis. A majority of patients were satisfied wit h the breast reconstruction. However, a sizeable proportion needed more inf ormation about breast reconstruction and the use of the silicone prosthesis . To avoid too high expectations more attention should be given to possible complications and the moderate cosmetic results. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.