The type of breast reconstructive surgery (implant versus flap) was examine
d among all Connecticut-resident breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1
994 and 1997 and identified from a population-based cancer registry. Type o
f reconstruction was obtained primarily from questionnaires sent to hospita
ls, but physicians were contacted about selected patients. Among 526 patien
ts who underwent reconstruction, reconstruction with a flap (with or withou
t an implant; 367 patients, or 69.8 percent) was more frequent than reconst
ruction with an implant alone (111 patients, or 21.1 percent); the type of
reconstruction was unknown for 48 patients (9.1 percent). Some disagreement
was found between reports from physicians and hospitals in a subsample of
patients diagnosed in 1997. This study describes the baseline data and meth
ods for examining trends in type of reconstruction among breast cancer pati
ents in a defined population.