Reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy for cancer.

Seventeen women who had had a mastectomy for cancer of the breast underwent reconstructions. Alloplastic implants were used in all. Preservation of the nipple and areola was possible in some of these patients. The normal (or uninvolved) breast sometimes required reduction in size or reshaping, to match as nearly as possible the reconstructed breast. The conditions suitable and unsuitable for mammary reconstruction, after mastectomy for cancer, are discussed.