Why DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction is Popular

Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery

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Why DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction is Popular More than 200,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed every year in the United States. If mastectomy is part of the treatment plan, patients may also consider breast reconstruction as the next step. Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flap is an advanced plastic surgery technique that makes use of the patient's own abdominal skin and fat to recreate a natural, warm, and soft breast. As the stomach muscles left untouched, patients can maintain abdominal strength with less post-surgical complications. These benefits have made DIEP flap a popular method of breast reconstruction.

Benefits of DIEP Flap Surgery This cutting-edge technique to reconstruct the breasts uses a flap of complete tissue - blood vessels, skin and fat from a woman’s lower abdomen as donor tissue. The surgeon transfers this DIEP flap to the chest and attaches it to the chest blood vessels to reconstruct the breast. This results in a natural-looking breast while preserving core abdominal strength.

A better understanding of the benefits of the procedure can be obtained by comparing it with the TRAM flap procedure. In TRAM flap, the entire rectus abdominis

Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery

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muscle, which carries the blood vessels, subcutaneous fat, and skin to create a breast, is harvested. Though it can produce natural looking results, TRAM flap surgery can cause complications such as abdominal weakness, hernias, or bulges because the abdominal muscle is also removed.

This does not occur in the DIEP flap procedure. The key benefits of Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator reconstruction can be listed as follows • No risk of abdominal weakness or hernia, as rectus muscles are not taken for breast recreation • Helps in quick recovery with less pain • Removal of abdominal skin and fat results in a tummy tuck • Less than 1% failure rate • More realistic breast appearance and texture The procedure can make the breasts look balanced and patients feel comfortable that the reconstructed breast looks natural. They can permanently regain breast contour and avoid the need for an external prosthesis.

Good Candidates for the DIEP Flap Procedure Women can choose to have breast reconstruction either at the time of mastectomy, or during a later date. Except for women who lack abdominal tissue to recreate the breast, all others are usually good candidates for DIEP flap breast reconstruction surgery. It is advisable that candidates considering reconstruction see their plastic surgeon before

Houston Plastic and Craniofacial Surgery

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the mastectomy. This will allow the surgeon to take precise measurements and pictures of the natural breasts, and use this information to create a more natural looking flap for use in the reconstruction. Looking at photos of other reconstructions can help the patient make the right decision, while saving breast skin and preventing unnecessary scars.

Patients usually need to spend five days in the surgical center. After discharge, most are able to get back to routine activities within 6 to 12 weeks, depending on their general health. Nipple reconstruction is usually done four months postoperatively.