Home inflation of tissue expanders: a safe and reliable alternative

The concept of tissue expansion by the placement of inflatable subcutaneous silicone implants was popularised by Radovan in the late 1970s and is now widely used in clinical practice. After the initial placement of the expander, a series of outpatient visits is required during which the expander is serially inflated. These visits can be very stressful for the patient and are costly in terms of patient transport and clinic time. We present a series of 26 expanders (in eight patients) that were inflated at home by the patient or a relative, and compare the results with those from 30 expanders (in 15 patients) inflated in the outpatient department. The results show that whilst there was a slightly higher incidence of minor infections in the group inflated at home (42% versus 23%, P>0.05), the overall success rate of the operation was greater in the home-inflation group (96% versus 90%, P>0.05). However, these differences were not statistically significant. This study provides evidence to support the practice of inflation at home, which is safe, cost effective and less stressful for the patient.