Plastic and reconstructive surgery
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Plast. Reconstr. Surg. · Apr 2019
Development and Validation of a Nipple-Specific Scale for the BREAST-Q to Assess Patient-Reported Outcomes following Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy.
Nipple-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction has become increasingly popular for prophylactic and therapeutic indications. Patient-reported outcomes instruments such as the BREAST-Q provide important information regarding patient satisfaction and aesthetic and functional outcomes. However, a validated patient-reported outcomes scale specifically addressing nipple-related outcomes following nipple-sparing mastectomy is not currently available. ⋯ Through qualitative patient interviews and adaptation of existing BREAST-Q questions, appropriate nipple-focused questions were developed to assess outcomes following nipple-sparing mastectomy. Incorporating these questions into patient-reported outcomes assessment of patients undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy can help improve future techniques and optimize outcomes.