Medical literature is dense by necessity, but that doesn’t mean it has to be inaccessible. We created these animated visualisations to make the study’s key findings easier to absorb at a glance: patient demographics, complication rates, quality-of-life outcomes, and surgical workflow. No data has been altered or embellished. All figures, percentages, and direct quotes are taken verbatim from the published paper.
Our goal is to support awareness of emerging surgical techniques among clinicians, patients, and the wider healthcare community, not to replace the original research. We strongly encourage readers to consult the full study via the DOI above.
Patient & surgical characteristics
Bilateral mastectomy76.2%
Unilateral mastectomy23.8%
Complication breakdown (n = 37 implants)
No complication (32)
Wound dehiscence ×3
Seroma ×1
Implant loss ×1
0% capsular contracture
“
Patients’ age ranged from 38 to 55 (mean age 48 years) and they presented a mean BMI of 22.0 kg/m². Of twenty-one patients enrolled for this study, only five patients had complications: four resolved after surgical revision of scars and one with implant loss.
— Results, p. 53
BREAST-Q quality-of-life scores — pre vs post-operative (6 months)
Psychological well-being
Pre: 41.9Post: 55.2 ↑
* p < 0.05
Sexual well-being
Pre: 42.2Post: 47.0 ↑
* p < 0.05
Satisfaction with breast
Pre: 45.0Post: 49.8 ↑
* p < 0.05
Physical chest well-being
Pre: 4.9Post: 43.4 ↑↑
* p < 0.05 — largest improvement
Pre-operative
Post-operative
“
After surgery, scores for overall satisfaction with breasts, psychosocial well-being, and sexual well-being were all significantly increased (p < 0.05). All patients are satisfied with the type of reconstruction performed and the result obtained. Exashape™ can give a good aesthetic and functional result, allowing the woman to feel comfortable in their daily routine.
— Results & Discussion, p. 54–56
Surgical workflow
Mean implant assembly time: 4 minutes · Drain removal: mean 10 days
“
The design of this membrane allows anterior coverage of the implant in less than five minutes creating an additional layer, without the need for adaptation procedures or redundant biological mass, reducing operative time, risk of accidental damage to the silicone implant and limiting protracted handling. The implant and mesh assembly can be positioned within the breast skin flap pocket, even without the need for chest wall sutures.
— Introduction, p. 52
“
Exashape™ Bioshield Pocket allowed a considerable reduction of surgical time in implant positioning, lowering exposure time and risk of infection. It also reduces the risk of implant damage during suturing. Although further studies would be useful to validate our result, we can say that Exashape™ has proved to be useful in breast reconstruction, allowing a good aesthetic and functional result.
— Conclusions, p. 56
The animations in this article are based entirely on data from the following peer-reviewed publication:
Mazzocchi M, Sigorini G, Cerciello E, Barberini F. “The use of Exashape™ Bioshield Pocket in prepectoral breast reconstruction: a preliminary experience.” Plastic, Reconstructive & Regenerative Surgery (PRRS) 2022;1:51–57. DOI: 10.57604/PRRS-064
The study was conducted at the Breast Unit, University of Perugia (Azienda Ospedaliera Perugia, Italy), and approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee (approval no. 325/2021). All patients provided written informed consent.
Copyright & open access
The original study is published under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International licence (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives). This summary is a non-commercial educational use. Quotes reproduced from the paper are attributed and used solely for commentary and informational purposes. All rights to the original work remain with the authors and Pacini Editore Srl.
Medical device notice
Exashape™ Bioshield Pocket is a regulated medical device. Its availability, approved indications, and regulatory status vary by country. References to this product do not imply regulatory approval in any specific jurisdiction. Consult local regulatory guidance and device labelling before clinical use.
