The DIEP flap procedure, which takes tissue from the abdomen, is an advanced microsurgical procedure.
The abdomen is the most common source of tissue for natural tissue reconstruction, including hybrid breast reconstruction. Hybrid reconstruction combines a natural tissue flap with a small implant to recreate the new breast.
The preferred and most cutting-edge procedure for abdominal natural tissue reconstruction is the DIEP flap procedure. In the DIEP procedure, a flap of skin, muscle, and blood vessels is removed from the abdomen. The muscles of the abdomen are left intact, making the DIEP a muscle-sparing surgery.
The blood vessels from the DIEP flap are then attached to a blood supply in the breast region using advanced microsurgical procedures. The tissue flap is shaped into the new breast.
In hybrid reconstruction, the tissue flap provided by the DIEP procedure is combined with a breast implant to add volume and projection to the rebuilt breast. Hybrid reconstruction is commonly used for women who are thin and have very little excess fat. However, even in those instances, the abdomen is often an ideal location for the donor tissue flap.
The DIEP flap procedure does leave a scar that sits low across the abdomen, near the bikini line. It also offers a “tummy tuck” effect that may improve the abdomen contour in some women..
In some cases, prior abdominal surgery can make a woman ineligible for natural tissue reconstruction with the abdomen as the donor site (the DIEP flap procedure). However, hybrid reconstruction can be performed with tissue from a different site such as the back.
Hybrid reconstruction involves a breast implant, which is not part of the body. However, saline implants are an acceptable alternative to silicone implants due to the increased tissue coverage with hybrid reconstructions. If you prefer not to have anything foreign in your body, natural tissue reconstruction would be a better alternative.
Yes. In fact, hybrid reconstruction is usually preferable to implant reconstruction alone in radiated patients, as it provides additional soft tissue coverage and protection to the underlying implant. Hybrid reconstruction also allows for the possible replacement of skin that has been damaged by radiation.
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