Abstract
Background
It is important for breast reconstruction after mastectomy to recreate immediately good breast symmetry with an adequate amount of soft tissue.
Methods
Eight patients with breast cancer underwent skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a deep inferior epigastric perforator flap. This operative technique, and the results, advantages, and disadvantages of the technique were assessed.
Results
Seven patients had stage IIA disease, and one patient had stage I disease. An arc-shaped incision was made just at the lateral border of the breast in all patients. Three patients had a separate periareolar incision, and one had a cicumferential nipple incision. There was 100% flap survival, and good breast symmetry was achieved in all patients. No major perioperative complications occurred in this series. A small amount of fat necrosis occurred in one flap. One patient had slight abdominal bulging. Minor wound-healing problems at the lateral breast skin envelope occurred in two patients.
Conclusion
These data indicate that skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a DIEP flap is a reliable and safe technique. This method is a potentially useful surgical technique, which has achieved very promising results.
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Reprint requests to Kenji Yano, Department of Plastic Surgery, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-2, Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02967663.
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Yano, K., Hosokawa, K., Nakai, K. et al. Skin-sparing mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a deep inferior epigastric perforator flap. Breast Cancer 10, 275–280 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02966729
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02966729