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Open Access
CC BY 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2026; 53(01): 028-037
DOI: 10.1055/a-2734-7103
Breast/Trunk
Original Article

Corynebacterium Infection Following Implant-based Breast Reconstruction: Lessons from the Five Consecutive Patients

Authors

  • Jiye Kim 

    1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea

  • Minwoo Park 

    1   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea

  • Seung Yong Song 

    2   Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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Abstract

Background

Infection is a challenging complication in prosthetic breast reconstruction. Recently, we encountered cases of Corynebacterium striatum infection following prosthetic breast reconstruction in breast cancer patients. We would like to share our experience of preventing reconstruction failure from this uncommon infection.

Methods

This is a retrospective study on consecutive cases of Corynebacterium infection that occurred within 2 months in five patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction. One patient had a history of preoperative radiation therapy, one required reoperation due to postoperative bleeding, and two experienced hemovac obstruction events. Patients were immediately hospitalized and treated with hemovac insertion, IV antibiotics, and, if necessary, reoperation for salvage.

Results

Corynebacterium striatum was identified in the hemovac cultures or intraoperative specimens of all patients. Based on the antibiotic susceptibility of the identified strain, infection with a single bacterial strain was suspected. All patients underwent hemovac re-insertion, and one patient was successfully salvaged with IV antibiotic treatment alone. However, the remaining four patients required implant change during the salvage process. The bacteria became negative within a period ranging from 1 to 7 weeks after identification, and salvage was successfully achieved without reconstruction failure in all patients by postoperative days 20 to 58.

Conclusion

Corynebacterium is an uncommon pathogen in implant-based breast reconstruction, and reports of its treatment are very rare. This study presents our experience with successful treatment and outlines the clinical symptoms and treatment methods. We hope that this report can serve as a reference for reconstructive surgeons who may encounter similar situations.

Keywords

breast implants - breast reconstruction - infections - Corynebacterium

Contributors' Statement

J.K. drafted the article and critically revised it.

M.P. contributed significantly in data acquisition, data analysis and interpretation.

S.Y.S. contributed in conception/design, critical revising and final approval.


Ethical Approval

This study is approved by Institutional Review Board of Severance Hospital (IRB No. 4–2025–0061).


Informed Consent

The patients provided written informed consent for the publication and the use of their images.




Publication History

Received: 10 March 2025

Accepted: 28 October 2025

Accepted Manuscript online:
30 October 2025

Article published online:
30 January 2026

© 2026. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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