The Correlation between Weight of Resected Breast Tissue During Reduction Mammaplasty and Pulmonary Functions Parameters: An Objective Analysis

Aboul Nasr, Laila A; Ramadan, Heidi A; Rizk, Ibrahim N; Shalaby, Alaa E; Raafat, Sarah S

doi:10.21608/ejprs.2020.140015

The Correlation between Weight of Resected Breast Tissue During Reduction Mammaplasty and Pulmonary Functions Parameters: An Objective Analysis

Document Type : Research article

Authors

¹ Department of Plastic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt

² Department of Chest Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt

10.21608/ejprs.2020.140015

Abstract

Background: Breast hypertrophy is seen in clinical practice
to have various physical symptoms and signs on patients.
These symptoms vary in severity according to breast weight.
Symptoms may include back and neck pain, postural changes,
skin affection (intertrigo) and psychological affection in form
of depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.
Insufficient and contradictory data from previous studies
described the effects on chest wall dynamics, which guided
this study to furtherly investigate these changes and prove
the hypothesis of the relation between the resected breast
weight and the improved effect on lung functions. The aim
of this study is to evaluate and document this relation and
hypothesis by performing pulmonary function tests pre and
post operatively.
Methodology and Results: Twenty-five adult female
patients presenting with symptomatic macromastia were
included in the study. Paired t-test showed significant change
in some spirometric parameters (FVC, FVC%, B/P, FEV1,
FEV1, %B/P) after reduction mammoplasty. Spearman correlation
coefficient discovered a significant positive correlation
between the total weight of breast tissue resected and pulmonary
functions, and a non-significant correlation between the
age, BMI and the pulmonary functions.
Conclusion: In conclusion, this study has documented
the restrictive effects on chest wall compliance caused by
macromastia. Statistically significant improvement in preand
post-operative pulmonary functions was documented.
The correlation between the resected breast weight and pulmonary
function tests improvement, proved to be linear

Keywords

References

Latham, Kerry, Walter Brehm and Danny J. Sharon:
"Comparing fitness performance before and after breast
reduction surgery". Military Medicine, 176.11: 1351-
1354, 2011.
2- Kerrigan, Carolyn L., et al.: "The health burden of breast
hypertrophy". Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 108.6:
1591-1599, 2001.
3- Güemes, Antonio, et al.: "Quality of life and alleviation
of symptoms after breast reduction for macromastia in
obese patients: Is surgery worth it?". Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery, 40.1: 62-70, 2016.
4- Miller, Brian J., et al.: "Prospective study of outcomes
after reduction mammaplasty". Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, 115.4: 1025-1031, 2005.
5- Ceber, Mehmet, et al.: "Reduction mammaplasty effect
on pulmonary function and arterial blood gas in the
overweight female". Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 39.4: 540-
546, 2015.
6- Kececi, Yavuz and Seyhan Dagistan: "Effects of breast
reduction on pulmonary function". International Surgery,
99.4: 300-304, 2014.
7- Neto, Miguel Sabino, et al.: "Self-esteem and functional
capacity outcomes following reduction mammaplasty".
Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 28.4: 417-420, 2008.
8- Gonzalez, Marco A., et al.: "Quality of Life After Breast
Reduction Surgery: A 10-Year Retrospective Analysis
Using the Breast Q Questionnaire Does Breast Size Matter?".
Annals of Plastic Surgery, 69.4: 361-363, 2012.
9- Rasslan, Zied, et al.: "Evaluation of pulmonary function
in class I and II obesity". J. Bras Pneumol., 30.6: 508-
14, 2004.
10- Starley I.F., et al.: "An investigation into changes in lung
function and the subjective medical benefits from breast
reduction surgery". British Journal of Plastic Surgery,
51.7: 531-534, 1998.
11- Chetty, Vaneshri and Elias Ndobe: "Macromastia and
gigantomastia: efficacy of the superomedial pedicle pattern
for breast reduction surgery". South African Journal of
Surgery, 54.4: 46-50, 2016.
12- Dancey, Anne, et al.: "Gigantomastia–a classification and
review of the literature". Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive
& Aesthetic Surgery, 61.5: 493-502, 2008.