PhD defence Maud Elisabeth Philomina Rijkx

Keywords: Autologous fat transfer, Lipofilling, Autologous breast reconstruction, Plastic surgery

"Autologous Fat Transfer (AFT) for Total Breast Reconstruction: Practical insights for widespread integration into clinical practice"

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women. Increasingly, women who have undergone a mastectomy are opting for breast reconstruction using their own fat tissue, also known as autologous fat transfer (AFT) or lipofilling. Since 2023, this method has been fully reimbursed in the Netherlands. This thesis investigates how AFT can be safely and effectively introduced into Dutch healthcare. It shows that plastic surgeons need to gain experience and benefit from guidance from experienced colleagues. Furthermore, it appears that long-term use of antibiotics does not provide any benefit in these operations. The studies also show that AFT is just as safe in the long term as reconstructions with implants: the risk of breast cancer recurrence is not increased. Finally, the studies describe what fat transplants look like in follow-up examinations using mammography and MRI and provide information to help doctors distinguish benign changes from malignant abnormalities. This contributes to safe, recognizable care for women after breast reconstruction with autologous fat transplantation.

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