Breast Reconstruction Techniques

Breast Reconstruction Techniques

Breast Reconstruction Techniques

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Foundations & Timing - Recon Ready?

  • Goals: Restore mound, symmetry, NAC; improve QoL, body image.
  • Timing:
    • Immediate (IBR): With mastectomy.
      • Pros: 1 surgery, better aesthetics, psych benefit.
      • Cons: May delay adjuvant; path may alter plan.
    • Delayed (DBR): After adjuvant therapy.
      • Pros: No adjuvant delay; patient adjusts.
      • Cons: Multiple surgeries; less ideal aesthetics.
  • Key Factors:
    • Oncological safety.
    • Patient choice, readiness.
    • Adjuvant therapy (esp. Radiotherapy/RT).
    • Comorbidities (smoking, DM, obesity ↑risk).
    • Breast: size, ptosis, skin.

⭐ PMRT (Post-Mastectomy Radiotherapy) strongly influences reconstruction timing & technique selection. Pre-pectoral breast implant reconstruction diagramoka

Autologous Options - Flap Fantastic

  • Uses patient's own tissue (skin, fat, ± muscle); offers natural feel & long-term results.
  • Flap Types:
    • Pedicled Flap: Tissue remains attached to its original blood supply & is tunnelled to the chest.
    • Free Flap: Tissue is detached, transferred to the chest & blood vessels reconnected (microsurgery).
  • Common Abdominal Flaps:
    • TRAM (Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous) Flap:
      • Pedicled (pTRAM) or Free (fTRAM).
      • Blood Supply: Superior Epigastric Artery (pTRAM) or Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery/Vein (fTRAM).
      • Risk: Abdominal wall weakness, hernia, potential partial/total flap loss.
    • DIEP (Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator) Flap:
      • Muscle-sparing (rectus abdominis muscle preserved).
      • Blood Supply: Perforators from Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery.
      • Advantage: ↓ abdominal morbidity compared to TRAM. TRAM vs DIEP flap donor sites and muscle involvement
  • Latissimus Dorsi (LD) Flap:
    • From the back; often combined with an implant for volume.
    • Blood Supply: Thoracodorsal artery.
    • Donor Site Issues: Seroma, back weakness, visible scar.
  • Other Options: SGAP/IGAP (gluteal perforator flaps), TUG (transverse upper gracilis) flap.

The DIEP flap is generally preferred over the TRAM flap for abdominal-based free flap breast reconstruction due to significantly lower risk of abdominal wall weakness and hernia.

Implant-Based & Combined - Implant Power

  • Core: Silicone/saline implants for mound. Simpler, less donor morbidity vs. autologous.
  • Approaches:
    • Staged: Tissue Expander (TE) → Permanent Implant. Most common.
      • TE: Submuscular/prepectoral. Gradual inflation.
    • Direct-to-Implant (DTI): Single stage. Good tissue quality needed.
  • Combined (Implant + Autologous/ADM):
    • LD Flap + Implant: For poor tissue/prior radiation. Latissimus Dorsi (LD) provides coverage.
    • Acellular Dermal Matrix (ADM)/Mesh: Supports implant, controls pocket, aims for ↓ capsular contracture.
      • 📌 ADM: Assists Durable Mound.
  • Key Risks: Capsular contracture, infection, rupture, malposition. Radiotherapy ↑ complications.

⭐ Prepectoral implant placement with ADM is gaining popularity, offering potentially less pain and faster recovery compared to submuscular placement.

Subglandular vs Submuscular Implant Placement

Complications & Finishing Touches - Trouble & Trim

  • General: Hematoma, seroma, infection, skin/flap necrosis, chronic pain.
  • Implant-Specific:
    • Capsular contracture (Baker I-IV); most common.
    • Rupture (Saline: deflation; Silicone: MRI for intracapsular).
    • Malposition, extrusion, rippling.
    • ⚠️ BIA-ALCL (Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma) with textured implants.
  • Autologous Flap-Specific:
    • Partial/total flap loss (vascular compromise).
    • Fat necrosis (calcification on mammo, mimics recurrence).
    • Donor site: hernia (esp. TRAM), seroma, weakness, pain.
  • Finishing Touches (Aesthetics & Symmetry):
    • Contralateral symmetrization (mastopexy, reduction, augmentation).
    • Lipomodelling (fat grafting) for volume/contour defects.
    • Nipple-Areola Complex (NAC) Reconstruction (typically 3-6 months post-mound):
      • Local flaps (e.g., C-V, skate, star flap).
      • Grafts for areola (full-thickness from groin/contralateral NAC).
      • Medical tattooing (micropigmentation).
    • Scar management (silicone, massage, steroids). Nipple-areola complex reconstruction diagram

⭐ Fat necrosis in autologous flaps can present as firm masses, oil cysts, or suspicious calcifications on mammography, potentially mimicking cancer recurrence and requiring biopsy for confirmation.

High‑Yield Points - ⚡ Biggest Takeaways

  • Autologous flaps (TRAM, DIEP, LD) offer natural results but have donor site issues; implants risk capsular contracture.
  • DIEP flap spares rectus muscle, unlike TRAM, reducing abdominal weakness.
  • LD flap is reliable, often needs an implant for volume; main risk is donor site seroma.
  • Immediate reconstruction is common; delayed may be chosen post-radiotherapy.
  • Radiotherapy increases complications for all reconstruction types, especially implants.
  • NAC reconstruction (local flaps, tattooing) is the final step for completeness.

Practice Questions: Breast Reconstruction Techniques

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Complications of sling procedures (TVT) for USI are all except:

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Flashcards: Breast Reconstruction Techniques

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What breast sx involves removal of all of breast + Nipple areola complex + overlying skin + level I+II+/-III axillary lymph nodes (Pec. minor removed)?_____

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What breast sx involves removal of all of breast + Nipple areola complex + overlying skin + level I+II+/-III axillary lymph nodes (Pec. minor removed)?_____

Patey's Modified radical mastectomy

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