Patient-Controlled Carbon Dioxide Tissue Expansion for Breast Reconstruction

Women who choose breast reconstruction after a mastectomy may need tissue expansion to stretch the skin and muscle of the chest to accommodate the breast implant. Current saline-based tissue expanders require patients to visit health care providers multiple times over a period of months to receive saline injections. The AeroForm Tissue Expander System uses carbon dioxide to achieve tissue expansion. Women can self-administer the carbon dioxide at home, which may offer greater convenience and reduce the number of office visits needed. The AeroForm Tissue Expander System is currently marketed in Australia and the US, but not in Canada. Evidence on the AeroForm Tissue Expander System comes from one multi-centre, randomized controlled trial in the US, and from several small, single-centre, uncontrolled studies in Australia.