The management of incidental findings of reduction mammoplasty specimens

Reduction mammoplasty is one of the most commonly performed procedures in plastic surgery. Occasionally, there are findings reported by pathologists that are unfamiliar to the treating surgeon. The aim of the present study was to determine the types of pathologies encountered in reduction mammoplasty specimens. From this list of diagnoses, a best practice guideline for management will be organized to better assist plastic surgeons in the management of patients with incidental findings on pathology reports. A total of 441 pathology reports from patients who underwent bilateral or unilateral reduction mammoplasty in the past three years were identified. A list of 21 different pathologies was generated from the pathology reports, along with supplemental data from recent texts and articles. Occult carcinomas were encountered in two cases (0.45%) and high-risk lesions were found in three cases (0.68%) at the authors' institution. An algorithm was then constructed to organize the pathologies according to risk of malignancy and assign them to a management guideline. There are many different lesions encountered incidentally in reduction mammoplasty specimens that may or may not confer some cancer risk. It is important for plastic surgeons to know which lesions need closer follow-up to provide the best care for their patients.