Table 2.
Pooled Complication Rates for pTRAM versus DIEP Flaps
| Outcomes | Studies, N | pTRAM | DIEP | Effect Size | 95% CI | I2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. Events | No. Patients | No. Events | No. Patients | |||||
| Total or partial flap loss | 6 | 90 | 1562 | 76 | 1233 | 1.03 | −0.81 to 2.88 | 36.62% |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 4 | 22 | 774 | 17 | 505 | 1.15 | −1.08 to 3.39 | 60.21% |
| Mastectomy skin flap necrosis | 3 | 80 | 680 | 56 | 409 | 0.36 | −1.39 to 2.11 | 0 |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 2 | 69 | 483 | 34 | 192 | 0.86 | −2.30 to 4.02 | 0 |
| Fat necrosis (breast) | 6 | 342 | 1667 | 210 | 1291 | 1.43 | −0.33 to 3.18 | 90.50% |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 4 | 147 | 774 | 76 | 505 | 1.63 | −0.53 to 3.80 | 93.00% |
| Infection (breast) | 5 | 184 | 1457 | 93 | 1175 | 1.63 | −0.36 to 3.62 | 86.59% |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 4 | 78 | 774 | 51 | 505 | 1.39 | −0.87 to 3.65 | 77.24% |
| Hematoma/seroma (breast) | 5 | 96 | 1468 | 105 | 1137 | 0.76 | −1.21 to 2.73 | 30.37% |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 4 | 70 | 785 | 49 | 467 | 0.84 | −1.39 to 3.07 | 0 |
| Wound healing complications (breast) | 4 | 97 | 774 | 29 | 505 | 1.49 | −0.78 to 3.77 | 80.18% |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 3 | 91 | 577 | 23 | 288 | 1.64 | −1.03 to 4.31 | 83.62% |
| Abdominal bulge/hernia | 5 | 174 | 1100 | 74 | 1000 | 2.82 | 0.83 to 4.80 | 85.70% |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 3 | 55 | 312 | 15 | 272 | 3.08 | 0.46 to 5.70 | 48.08% |
| Wound healing complications (donor-site) | 3 | 129 | 576 | 106 | 284 | 0.59 | −1.86 to 3.04 | 0 |
| Low-volume hospitals only | 2 | 120 | 471 | 94 | 226 | 0.68 | −2.30 to 3.66 | 0 |