Treatment of Breast fat Tissue Necrosis in Germany
Best hospitals and doctors for breast fat tissue necrosis treatment in Germany
Leading hospitals
Cost for treatment
Breast fat tissue necrosis is an aseptic (without the participation of bacteria) adipose tissue inflammation with its further necrosis, which is associated with impaired oxygen delivery to the adipose cells. This condition usually develops after breast surgery. The disease does not threaten health, so it is treated in cases when a woman wants to improve her breast appearance. If you are going to have necrosis removal surgery, Germany will be a perfect choice. German surgeons provide patients with excellent aesthetic results by performing breast augmentation with advanced and free flaps or implants.
Content
- Causes for the development of the disease
- Fat tissue necrosis after cancer treatment
- Diagnostics
- Breast treatment
- Why is it better to undergo treatment in Germany
- How to make an appointment for treatment in a German hospital
Causes for the development of the disease
A section of breast tissue dies as a result of poor blood supply. It is a consequence of damage to blood vessels.
The most common causes of breast fat tissue necrosis are:
- previously performed breast surgery;
- injury;
- biopsy;
- breast cancer;
- cancer treatment (surgery, radiation therapy).
The risk of necrosis increases with age, due to obesity, smoking, and also in mastoptosis. Breast cancer patients have a higher risk of adipose cell necrosis when undergoing chemotherapy.
The site of fat tissue necrosis is a lump in the breast. The neoplasm is usually fixed to the skin and it can be fused with it. Nipple retraction is often detected as a result of the development of fibrous bands between necrotized adipose tissue and skin. The same symptoms are characteristic of malignant tumors. Therefore, during the first visit to the doctor, women are accurately examined to exclude cancer.
Fat tissue necrosis after cancer treatment
Both the malignant breast tumor itself and the procedures or surgical interventions for its treatment can become the causes of the development of fat tissue necrosis.
Lumpectomy. It is the main surgical procedure for breast cancer treatment. The more tissue removed, the higher the risk of developing fat tissue necrosis. According to various authors, the risk ranges from 1 to 9%. Statistics vary from hospital to hospital. If you are looking for a good hospital specializing in cancer treatment, the specialists of the Booking Health company will select the best Breast Surgery Center for you. It will minimize the risk of developing fat tissue necrosis.
Mastectomy. Even after total breast removal, fat tissue necrosis is still possible as a small amount of adipose tissue remains. This complication leads to the development of a palpable neoplasm, which suggests a cancer recurrence. But in fact, the timing of cancer recurrence and the development of fat tissue necrosis are very different, so it is quite easy for doctors to distinguish between these conditions. Necrosis occurs in the first weeks or months after surgery, and cancer recurs within one to five years.
Breast plastic surgery with flaps. It is a commonly used method of breast reconstruction after cancer surgery. Doctors repair the defect with tissue fragments that they move from one part of the body to another along with its vessels.
Plastic surgery can be performed with advanced or free flaps. If the tissues are displaced, then the main vessels do not intersect. When using free flaps, the vessels are dissected and then sutured in a new place. This is a more complex operation that is better performed by experienced surgeons. The blood supply is not fully restored in some women, and tissue oxygen starvation occurs, which may result in fat tissue necrosis. Doctors advise quitting smoking 8 weeks before surgery to reduce the risk of complications.
Lipofilling. It is one of the methods for breast reconstruction, in which doctors inject the patient's adipose tissue. This approach is often used in women with implants after radiation therapy or skin-sparing mastectomy to improve breast aesthetics. In different hospitals, the probability of fat tissue necrosis after this procedure is 2-18%. The doctors at the German hospitals transplant adipose tissue immediately after receiving it from the donor site, which minimizes the risk of necrosis.
Radiation therapy. Different types of radiation therapy with different degrees of probability may lead to fat tissue necrosis. The risk of this complication is highest during brachytherapy, as it involves not only exposure to radiation, but also injury to the chest by needles during the delivery of radioactive materials.
Diagnostics
During the examination, the doctor must determine the presence of fat tissue necrosis and also distinguish the lump from other tumors, including malignant ones. Whenever possible, the specialists try to make the diagnosis using non-invasive methods without a breast biopsy. This procedure causes discomfort and may create certain problems, such as non-healing wounds in women, who have undergone radiation therapy.
The following diagnostic methods can be used:
- The survey, examination, and tissue palpation.
- Instrumental examinations: mammography, ultrasound, and MRI.
- Breast biopsy.
During the initial appointment, the doctor takes into account the patient's medical history, since breast fat tissue necrosis is usually associated with previous events. The doctor clarifies whether the woman had breast surgery and whether she was treated for cancer or other breast tumors. He also pays attention to the size of the breast and the presence of risk factors for necrosis: obesity, smoking, and mastoptosis.
Mammography. It is the main method for examining the breast in women over 40 years old. This diagnostic procedure is used as screening. The problem is that fat tissue necrosis often causes calcifications, which are the same as in the case of malignant tumors. Therefore, mammography is usually not sufficient for cancer exclusion.
Ultrasound scanning. The area of fat tissue necrosis can be either a dense or liquid mass. Conventional ultrasound cannot reliably distinguish this disease from either cancer or cysts, but Doppler ultrasonography solves this problem. The malignant tumor has a good blood supply, as cancer cells need several nutrients to divide quickly. The site of necrosis suffers from a lack of blood supply since poor blood flow in the tissues causes their death.
MRI. This diagnostic test is used if ultrasound scanning is not sufficient to exclude cancer. This examination is more accurate. Doctors resort to it if significant fibrosis (scarring) and calcifications are found in the breast. MRI has a negative predictive value of close to 100%, especially in women with previous breast surgery. It means that even without a biopsy, an MRI can reliably exclude cancer. The examination is carried out with contrast enhancement. A feature of fat tissue necrosis is that it accumulates contrast agents in the same way as the surrounding tissues. Meanwhile, the malignant tumor absorbs a large number of contrast agents due to increased blood supply.
Breast treatment
If a woman does not receive treatment, the areas of fat tissue necrosis may increase, decrease, or remain unchanged. Sometimes they disappear completely.
As a rule, a woman does not need surgical treatment. Clinical monitoring is quite enough if there is no pain syndrome and breast aesthetics is not important to the patient.
Indications for treatment are as follows:
- significant breast deformity;
- pain;
- high requirements for the breast aesthetics;
If the woman has not been treated for cancer and fat tissue necrosis has developed, for example, after breast reduction, then the patient needs constant monitoring. The area of fat tissue necrosis refers to benign neoplasms. Women undergo mammography once a year. Should there be any signs of malignancy, then the woman will require a biopsy to exclude cancer.
Sometimes fat tissue necrosis contains oily fluid. In this case, it may need to be aspirated (suctioned) with a needle to reduce discomfort.
In the case of a solid (dense) breast neoplasm or deformity, the doctor will suggest its surgical removal. This surgical intervention will inevitably leave a tissue defect. Sometimes it is hardly noticeable since the area of necrosis is small. In other cases, the defect occupies a significant part of the breast and has to be repaired.
In any case, breast necrosis is a benign disease. It complicates cancer screening or detection of malignancy recurrence, creates a cosmetic defect, does not threaten health, and usually does not cause subjective sensations. Therefore, if the woman undergoes treatment, it is performed for aesthetic purposes only.
Below are the main options for surgical interventions.
Plastic surgery with the patient's tissues. The technique depends on the size of the defect. Doctors usually repair the defect with free or advanced flaps. When using advanced flaps, the vascular pedicle is preserved. If the defect is formed, as a result of the necrosis site removal is large, then surgeons perform plastic surgery with free flaps. They are taken from distant parts of the body. A microsurgical technique allows specialists to transfer these tissues without worsening their blood supply.
Plastic surgery with implants. This option is used for severe tissue defects or if a woman wants to simultaneously enlarge and lift her breast to improve its aesthetics. The intervention can be performed on both mammary glands at the same time.
Reduction mammoplasty. After removal of the area of fat tissue necrosis, the breast will decrease in size. But doctors can reshape it, and the second breast can be operated on to achieve symmetry. After such an operation, the breast becomes smaller, but there is no need to resort to implants, and it is also not necessary to injure other parts of the body, receiving tissue fragments from them to replace breast defects.
Why is it better to undergo treatment in Germany
If you want to get a good and stable aesthetic result, it is better to undergo treatment for breast fat tissue necrosis in Germany. When performing the surgical intervention, doctors dissect the area of necrosis and then repair the defect with the patient's tissues or implants. There are a few reasons for you to undergo diagnostics in Germany:
- High-precision instrumental diagnostics allows doctors to exclude cancer, and distinguish fat tissue necrosis from cysts and benign tumors even without invasive procedures.
- Safe surgical interventions, during which doctors not only restore the breast aesthetics but also ensure a proper blood supply to the breast tissue.
- Surgical interventions are performed in specialized centers that deal with breast health and aesthetics. Doctors in such centers have vast experience in breast surgery, as they perform hundreds of surgical interventions every year.
- Breast specialists use the latest surgical techniques to provide patients with the best possible breast aesthetics.
- Doctors will not only eliminate the areas of fat necrosis, but can also enlarge the breast, lift it, and reshape it if desired. In this case, the surgical intervention will be performed simultaneously on two mammary glands.
German hospitals employ highly specialized plastic surgeons and breast specialists. You will benefit from high-quality medical services, comprehensive care, safe treatment, and rapid recovery. You will get excellent aesthetic results that will be preserved for many years.
How to make an appointment for treatment in a German hospital
If you want to undergo the treatment of breast fat tissue necrosis in Germany, you are welcome to use the Booking Health service. On our website, you will receive up-to-date and accurate information about the cost of treatment in Germany, compare prices in different German hospitals and book a medical care program at the best price. The treatment in Germany will be easier and faster for you, and the cost of treatment in Germany will be lower.
Please, leave your request on the website of the medical tourism agency Booking Health. Our employees will contact you, provide advice, and answer your questions. We will take care of the arrangements for your trip. We will provide you with the following benefits:
- We will select the oncology department at the German hospital whose doctors specialize in the treatment of benign tumors and all stages of vulvar cancer.
- We will help you overcome the language barrier and establish communication with the doctor at the German hospital.
- The waiting period for the treatment in Germany will be reduced for you and you will receive medical care on the most suitable dates.
- We will reduce the price. The cost of treatment in Germany will be lower due to the lack of overpricing and additional coefficients for foreign patients.
- Our specialists will solve any organizational issues: preparation of documents, transfer from the airport to the German hospital, and back, hotel booking, and interpreting services.
- We will prepare your documents and translate them into English or German. You do not have to undergo previously performed diagnostic procedures.
- We will stay in touch with the German hospital after the completion of your treatment in Germany.
- We will arrange additional treatment in Germany, diagnostics, or rehabilitation if required.
- We will buy medicines in Germany and forward them to your native country.
While the best specialists in the world are taking care of your health, the Booking Health staff will help you reduce the cost of treatment in Germany and take care of all your travel arrangements.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board certified doctors Dr. Vadim Zhiliuk and Dr. Sergey Pashchenko. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources: