Reduction Mammaplasty: Position of the Nipple-Areolar Complex After Long-Term Follow-Up

Abstract

A Freiberg, MM Carr. Reduction mammaplasty: Position of the nipple-areolar complex after long-term follow-up. Can J Plast Surg 1994;2(3):117-120. Permanence of the location of the nipple-areolar complex after reduction mammaplasty was examined in 59 women undergoing a modified Robbins technique. Average age was 35.9 years and follow-up ranged from 8.5 months to 14.5 years. Measurements were taken bilaterally by the same observer at each follow-up visit without regard for previous measurements. These included the sternal notch to nipple distance (snn), areola to inframammary crease distance (aim), and the vertical limb of the scar length (vl). The first visit between one month and one year postoperatively was taken as the baseline to which later measurements were compared. with time, there was a trend to lengthening of the snn and shortening of the vl, but all changes were less than 1 cm and none was statistically significant (P>0.05). Groups were divided on the basis of patient age, amount of tissue excised, preoperative breast type, and pregnancies since operation, and the same measurements compared. There were no statistically significant differences (P>0.05). These results support the authors’ contention that nipple location remains stable following reduction mammaplasty.