Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator (DIEP) flaps are often a great choice when reconstructing the breast following mastectomy that has undergone radiation. There are many different scenarios that present to plastic and reconstructive surgeons with regard to breast reconstruction. We often see patients in our office who have undergone mastectomy followed by radiation and who now choose to undergo breast…
DIEP flaps are commonly used to reconstruct the breast following mastectomy in the setting of radiation. After a mastectomy and radiation, the skin that has been radiated, will not expand appropriately to accept an implant. Often the tissue has been damaged from the radiation and needs to be excised to appropriately reconstruct the breast. Autologous tissue reconstruction is the reconstruction…
DIEP or deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flaps for breast reconstruction are commonly used in delayed breast reconstruction and following radiation therapy. Breast reconstruction with DIEP flaps typically require three stages of surgery to maximize the symmetry that is able to be obtained. In the first stage, the skin and fat from the lower abdomen is harvested and then transferred…
Your Breast Reconstruction Options After Radiation The lower abdomen is traditionally used as the donor site for reconstruction following mastectomy when the remaining skin and subcutaneous tissue has been damaged by radiation. Not all patients respond to radiation in the same way. Some patients may receive lower doses of radiation and show significant signs of radiation damage and others may…
DIEP flaps are autologous tissue flap reconstructions where the tissue from the lower abdomen is transferred to chest using microsurgical techniques. The benefit of autologous tissue reconstruction is that the look and feel of the breast is natural and the reconstruction is durable. One of the secondary benefits of the DIEP flap breast reconstruction is that as the lower abdominal…
Autologous breast reconstruction involves reconstructing the breast following mastectomy with the patient’s own body tissues. Patients who are candidates for autologous breast reconstruction are patients who have had radiation to the breast skin, those who have had repeated infections or capsular contracture, or those patients who wish to undergo breast reconstruction without implants. Other types of patients who are candidates…
When the breast has been removed for cancer and the remaining skin on the chest has been radiated the optimal choice for autologous reconstruction is to use tissue from the lower abdomen.The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap or DIEP flap is a variation of the TRAM flap. The DIEP flap allows the plastic & reconstructive surgeon the opportunity to…
