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…
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…
DIEP flaps are useful autologous flaps for breast reconstruction. There are many times when the DIEP flaps are performed in a delayed fashion with tissue expanders placed at the time of the mastectomy and prior to the DIEP flaps. In these cases, the mastectomy procedures are performed and the skin is allowed to heal with the tissue expanders in place.…
DIEP flap breast reconstruction is often necessary to reconstruct the breast following radiation therapy. The lower abdomen is the primary source of tissue used to reconstruct the breast as it is soft and there is often adequate tissue available. After radiation therapy or removal of infected tissue expanders the skin can often not re-expand or is not amenable to placement…
DIEP flap reconstruction can be used to reconstruct the breast in patients who have undergone radiation who are no longer candidates for implant reconstruction. In the radiated breast, the skin may not tolerate an implant or may be more susceptible to infection. In these patients the breast is reconstructed with the patients own body tissue. This photos shows a bilateral…
DIEP flap breast reconstruction uses the tissue from the lower abdomen to reconstruct the breast. This allows a natural match to the other breast. What can determine if a patient is a candidate for DIEP flap breast reconstruction is the amount of tissue on the lower abdomen and presence or absence of abdominal scars from previous surgeries. The satisfaction rate…
DIEP flap reconstruction is a common method of reconstruction. Occasionally the lower abdomen does not have sufficient tissue for a bilateral reconstruction and the flap reconstruction can be augmented with mammary prosthesis. Typically, we wait until one year after a DIEP flap reconstruction to augment the breast. The satisfaction rate is high with augmentation of the DIEP flaps because the…
DIEP flap breast reconstruction is an excellent option for a unilateral mastectomy in a patient with the appropriate body habitus. The unilateral autologous reconstruction can match the contralateral breast well with respect to shape. Size can also be matched well, depending on the abdominal donor site. Autologous flap reconstructions tolerate radiation therapy well. This is a right unilateral DIEP flap…
DIEP Flap breast reconstruction is the reconstruction of the breast following mastectomy. DIEP flap reconstruction is a form of autologous reconstruction where the breast is reconstructed with tissue from the patients own body. In this case, the breast can be reconstructed without the use of implants. The tissue from the lower abdomen is the most common site for autologous breast…
In patients with larger breasts, one manner in which the breast can be reconstructed is with tissue from the lower abdomen. When the breast is ptotic, the nipple areola complex may not remain viable at the time of the mastectomy. Often a tissue expander is used at the time of mastectomy to let the skin heal before proceeding with DIEP…
