See the Original Article here.
The number of capsulectomies performed has increased since 2019.1 This paper, “Complications of Capsulectomy: An Analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Database,” reviews the complications reported by participating institutions for surgeon-reported capsulectomy procedures.2 The authors state that this is the first estimate of the incidence of complications from capsulectomy, and from my review of the literature, they seem to be correct. They report a minor complication rate of 0.8% and a major complication rate of 2.4%. The limitations of the paper include the lack of specificity of the procedure performed, whether total or partial capsulectomy, and whether the implants were subglandular or submuscular, which could affect the rate of complications. Approximately, 16.7% of patients had a concomitant major procedure, and it is unknown to which procedure the complication was related. A paper published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal which reviewed CosmetAssure (Birmingham, AL) data for complications of capsulectomy reported a similar major complication rate of 2.8%, with twice the complication rate of revisional procedures performed without a capsulectomy.3 This paper shows that capsulectomy is not without risk, and further studies are indicated to determine the true incidence so that patients considering capsulectomy can make an informed decision.
Disclosures
Dr McGuire is an unpaid consultant with Allergan (Irvine, CA, USA) and Establishment Labs (Alajuela, Costa Rica); a clinical investigator for Motiva US (Santa Barbara, CA, USA), FDA clinical trials; and an Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation grant recipient.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and publication of this article.
References
- 1.American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Plastic Surgery Statistics Report 2019. Accessed March 3, 2022. https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/plastic-surgery-statistics
- 2.Abi-Rafeh J, Safran T, Wincour S, Dionisopolulos T, Davison P, Vorstenbosch J. Complications of capsulectomies: an analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Aesthet Surg J Open Forum. 2022;4:ojac025. doi: 10.1093/asjof/ojac025 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Afshari A, Nguyen L, Glassman GE, Perdikis G, Grotting JC, Higdon KK. Incidence and preoperative risk factors for major complications after capsulectomy: analysis of 3048 patients. Aesthet Surg J. 2022:sjac004. doi: 10.1093/asj/sjac004 [Epub ahead of print]. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]