Delayed breast implant reconstruction: Is radiation therapy associated with capsular contracture or reoperations?

We evaluated the association between radiation therapy and severe capsular contracture or reoperation after 717 delayed breast implant reconstruction procedures (288 1- and 429 2-stage procedures) identified in the prospective database of the Danish Registry for Plastic Surgery of the Breast during the period between 1999 and 2006. A history of radiation therapy was associated with increased risk of severe capsular contracture for 1- and 2-stage procedures, with adjusted hazard ratios (HR) of 3.3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.9ĝ€"12.4) and 7.2 (95% CI: 2.4ĝ€"21.4), respectively. Similarly, a history of radiation therapy was associated with a non-significantly increased risk of reoperation after both 1-stage (HR ≤ 1.4; 95% CI: 0.7ĝ€"2.5) and 2-stage (HR ≤ 1.6; 95% CI: 0.9ĝ€"3.1) procedures. Reconstruction failure was highest (13.2%) in the 2-stage procedures with a history of radiation therapy. Breast reconstruction approaches other than implants should be seriously considered among women who have received radiation therapy. Copyright © 2012 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.