I Am Considering Breast Reconstruction Using a Spectrum Implant/expander- What Result Can I Expect?

I had a tissue-sparing mastectomy in April. I had chemo but no radiation. I am a 38B. Is a Spectrum implant/expander reliable and produce a positive result most of the time? I think I'd choose a smooth shell (since I read the articles about lymphoma)filled with saline.

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2 Doctor Answers | Asked by jakeandchris

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Breast Reconstruction

The skill of the surgeon in creating the pocket is more important than the brand of tissue expander. The expander just protects the pocket size and stretches the skin so the implant can be better accommodated. Trust your surgeon to choose the expander which is best for your situation.

How to choose the best implant for reconstruction

The Spectrum implant is a saline implant that also functions as a tissue expander, so there is a port attached to it (which you would see as a bump under the skin below the breast) where saline is injected every few weeks. Once the desired size is achieved the port is removed, typically under local anesthesia. This has the advantage of only one relatively short operation under anesthesia. With a tissue sparing mastectomy, even better would be to put the expander in at the time of the... more