Breast reconstruction following mastectomy can be performed with tissue expanders and implants. In some cases, patients do not want to have their breast reconstructed with implants and we can use the skin and fat from the abdomen to reconstruct the breast. In some patients the DIEP flap can be completed at the time of the mastectomy depending upon the size…
When the mastectomy has been radiated and there is either a tissue expander or implant beneath the radiated pocket, a capsular contracture can develop which displaced the implant to a more superior location. When an implant reconstruction is not possible or favorable secondary to the radiation, then the breast can be reconstructed with a DIEP flap. In a DIEP flap…
Unilateral or a single side mastectomy reconstruction can often be accomplished with a DIEP flap from the abdomen. When a unilateral mastectomy is performed it may be easier to match the non-cancer breast with skin and fat from the abdomen. This may be even more appropriate when the mastectomy has undergone radiation therapy. The radiated breast skin and tissue expander…
DIEP flap reconstruction involves moving the lower abdominal tissue to the chest to reconstruct either one or both breasts. The healing process for DIEP flaps, as any other surgery, can take up to one year to 18 months or more to completely soften up and heal. Typical strenuous activity and weightlifting restrictions are on the order of 6 weeks. For…
Breast reconstruction is a common procedure in the United States and more specifically in Newport Beach, California. Often patients may have undergone a bilateral mastectomy with implant reconstruction. At the time of the mastectomy, the nipple areola complex may have been removed and the breast reconstructed with tissue expanders and then subsequently the placement of bilateral mammary prosthesis. When the…
DIEP flaps are excellent options for breast reconstruction in patients who have undergone radiation therapy. Often the skin above the tumor needs to be resected during a mastectomy and an oncoplastic mastectomy is completed to facilitate clearing an anterior margin. When tissue expanders are placed and then radiated, the tissue expander can be affected by capsular contracture forces around the…
Bilateral DIEP flap reconstructions are common operations for breast cancer reconstruction. When the breast has been radiated, DIEP flaps can be very helpful for breast reconstruction. When implants or expanders have extruded through the skin the DIEP flap can help reconstruct the breast. After the breast has been reconstructed with a DIEP flap the final stage of the reconstruction is…
Bilateral DIEP flaps are rewarding procedures to perform. In patients who have larger breasts and who undergo mastectomy, there are often implants that are not large enough to adequately reconstruct the breasts. In these patients the tissue from the lower abdomen can be used to reconstruct the breasts and provide a natural look and feel to the breast. After the…
DIEP flap breast reconstruction is helpful to reconstruct the breast when there has been previous tissue expander or implant infection. When the mastectomy defect is reconstructed with DIEP flaps the patients own body tissue is used. This is called an autologous breast reconstruction. The primary source of tissue to reconstruct the breast is the tissue from the lower abdomen. This…
There are a subset of patients who have undergone implant reconstruction following mastectomy and who choose to have their implants removed and their breasts reconstructed with DIEP flaps. The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap uses the skin and/or fat from the lower abdomen to reconstruct the breast. This flap is helpful to reconstruct the upper pole of the breast…
