ArticleBMC surgery2026
Role of chest wall perforator flaps in reconstruction of upper inner breast defects.
Article in BMC surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBreast-conserving surgery (BCS) is the standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer; however, defects in the upper inner quadrant (UIQ) remain a significant reconstructive challenge due to paucity of local tissue and heightened cosmetic sensitivity of this quadrant. Chest wall perforator flaps (CWPFs) have emerged as a reliable volume replacement option with minimal donor-site morbidity, yet data focusing specifically on their use in UIQ defects are limited.
methodsThis retrospective study included 20 female patients with UIQ breast tumors who underwent partial breast reconstruction using CWPFs between January 2022 and December 2023. Data regarding patient and tumor characteristics, flap type, operative details, and postoperative complications were collected. Aesthetic outcomes were objectively assessed using BCCT.core software (version 3.1), while patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were evaluated at 12 months postoperatively using the BREAST-Q questionnaire.
resultsThe mean patient age was 40.7 ± 5.0 years. The most commonly used flap was the anterior intercostal artery perforator (AICAP) flap (40%), followed by combined LICAP/LTAP flaps (25%). The mean operative time was 79.0 ± 7.5 min. Postoperative complications occurred in 20% of patients, including seroma (10%), wound infection (5%), and fat necrosis (5%), with no cases of major flap loss or positive surgical margins. According to BCCT assessment, excellent and good cosmetic outcomes were achieved in 95% of patients. PROMs demonstrated favorable outcomes, with mean scores of 73.4 ± 4.7 for physical well-being, 73.8 ± 4.2 for psychological well-being, and 70.1 ± 6.3 for satisfaction with the breast.
conclusionCWPFs were used for reconstruction of UIQ defects following breast-conserving surgery with acceptable postoperative complication rates and favorable cosmetic assessment in this retrospective cohort. These findings describe the surgical and aesthetic outcomes observed in this challenging breast quadrant. Further prospective studies with larger patient populations are needed to better define the role of CWPFs in UIQ reconstruction.
trial registrationRetrospectively registered after the approval of Baheya Ethical Committee, IRB no. 202,506,300,026.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.