Sensory restoration following breast reconstruction with operative reinnervation: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: There is currently no consensus on the efficacy of operative reinnervation at the time of post-mastectomy reconstruction. This review compares postoperative sensation between innervated and non-innervated flaps in breast reconstruction through systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: EMBASE, Ovid, and CENTRAL were searched from inception to December 6, 2023. The primary outcome was level of sensation postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included presence of sensation, breast-related complications, operative time, and quality of life. Meta-analysis was conducted using mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) for continuous outcomes and odds radio (OR) for dichotomous outcomes. Quality of evidence was appraised using RoB-2/ROBINS-I. Certainty of evidence was assessed with Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations.

Results: Twenty-eight studies were included; studies were observational studies except one randomized controlled trial. Common flaps were deep inferior epigastric perforator (11/28, 39.3%) and transversus rectus abdominis muscle (9/28, 32.1%). Innervated flaps were significantly associated with improved level of postoperative sensation (SMD: -0.94, 95% CI: [-1.35; -0.53], I²: 78%, p < 0.01), presence of postoperative sensation (OR: 11.4, 95% CI: [5.09; 24.5], I²: 0%, p < 0.01), and improved postoperative BREAST-Q scores (MD: 8.11, 95% CI: [4.33; 11.89], I²: 27%, p < 0.01). However, certainty of evidence was low/very low for all outcomes. Most studies had moderate risk of bias (56.5%). There were no statistically significant differences in breast-related complications or operative time.

Conclusions: Operative reinnervation in breast reconstruction is significantly associated with improved level and presence of postoperative sensation and BREAST-Q scores without significant increase in breast-related complications/operative time. More high-quality studies are required to improve the certainty of outcomes.