{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,31]],"date-time":"2026-08-31T09:44:39Z","timestamp":1788169479718,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,4]],"date-time":"2026-01-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1767484800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Investigating how placement of a contralateral breast implant in the context of unilateral implant-based breast reconstruction influences aesthetic and patient-reported outcomes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on a single-center prospectively maintained database (January 2021\u2013March 2025) including patients who underwent unilateral implant-based breast reconstruction in association with a contralateral implant placement or not. Exclusion criteria were bilateral implant-based reconstruction or autologous reconstruction, follow-up of less than 6 months and missing data. Demographics and complications were analyzed. Aesthetic outcomes were evaluated by independent blinded surgeons using the Kroll Scale, patient satisfaction was investigated with the BREAST-Q Reconstruction Module v2.0. Statistical analysis used the Student\u2019s t-test, Multivariate regression analysis and Mann\u2013Whitney U test with significance set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: The study group included 21 patients (40.4%) who received a contralateral implant, while the control group included 31 patients (59.6%) who did not receive a contralateral implant. Patients who received contralateral implants showed a significant improvement in cosmetic outcomes evaluated with the Kroll Scale and a raw increment, without statistical significance, in BREAST-Q scores in all subsections investigated (Psychosocial well-being, Sexual well-being and Satisfaction with breasts). Conclusions: Placing a contralateral breast implant in the context of unilateral implant-based breast reconstruction significantly improves aesthetic outcomes and correlates with higher patient satisfaction scores for the reconstructed breast, compared to placing no contralateral implant, without increasing the overall complication rate.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm15010375","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,5]],"date-time":"2026-01-05T10:53:50Z","timestamp":1767610430000},"page":"375","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Impact of Contralateral Implant Placement in Unilateral Implant-Based Postmastectomy Breast Reconstruction: A Single Center Retrospective Cohort Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Salvatore","family":"D\u2019Arpa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, La Maddalena Cancer Center, 90146 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe Antonio","family":"D\u2019Amico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital of Messina AOU Gaetano Martino, 98125 Messina, Italy"},{"name":"Unit of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8787-8753","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giulio Jad","family":"Jaber","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University Hospital of Messina AOU Gaetano Martino, 98125 Messina, Italy"},{"name":"Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung 40447, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Michele Rosario","family":"Colonna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Human Pathology and Diseases of the Adult, the Child and the Adolescent, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Massimo","family":"David","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Oncologic Breast Surgery, La Maddalena Cancer Center, 90146 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"239","DOI":"10.1097\/00006534-198508000-00010","article-title":"The Subunit Principle in Nasal Reconstruction","volume":"76","author":"Burget","year":"1985","journal-title":"Plast. 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