Researchers studied the records of patients who underwent mastectomies from 2003 to 2007. They found that 91.7 percent of patients who were referred for consultation with a plastic surgeon had the surgery, whereas none of the patients who were not referred underwent reconstruction. Referral decisions differed depending on patients’ age, body mass index, laterality and whether they had diabetes.
The authors concluded that breast surgeons’ referral decisions can significantly affect patients’ decisions to undergo breast reconstruction.
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