Individualized Options and Breast Reconstruction Plans
We offer a broad spectrum of breast reconstruction options. Surgeons talk to each patient about options to help her make the best decision based on her health, future breast cancer treatments, projected recovery time, body shape, and other factors.
One area in which the UT Southwestern team in Dallas has gained distinction involves the use of flaps, where tissue is transplanted from other parts of the body to reconstruct the breast. Basically, “flap” means any tissue with a blood supply or that is connected to a main artery and vein. By using flaps, patients should expect less downtime and more natural, aesthetic results.
The main types of flap procedures we perform to create a new breast include:
- Deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP): Uses tissue from the lower abdomen
- “Efficient” deep inferior epigastric perforator (eDIEP): Uses tissue from the lower abdomen efficiently
- Profunda artery perforator (PAP): Uses tissue from the back of the upper thigh (upper posterior thigh area)
- Stacked Flaps: Uses tissue from different parts of body in combination – generally two areas
- 4-Flaps: A type of stacked flap generally using DIEP, PAP, or LAP flap in combination
- Double-Pedicle DIEP flap: Uses tissue entirely from the lower abdomen for one side breast reconstruction
- Lumbar artery perforator (LAP): Uses soft tissue of the waistline (flank/ ‘love handle’ area)
- Lateral Thigh Flap (LTP): Uses tissue from the upper side of the thighs
Also, if a patient has one breast surgically removed, we can suggest additional procedures to reshape or lift the natural breast. The goal is to match the existing breast with the reconstructed breast. We can perform reconstruction procedures in conjunction with a mastectomy or years after breast cancer treatment.
The procedures include:
- Immediate breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, which offers the advantage of preserving as much of the breast skin envelope as possible, maximizing cosmesis and retaining as much of the breast’s own skin as possible
- Delayed reconstruction, where the final results can be very comparable to immediate reconstruction
- Surgery to revise a previous procedure