Following A Mastectomy, Breast Reconstruction:-
How does breast reconstruction work?
The shape of the lost breast can be recreated for many women who undergo a mastectomy, a procedure to remove the entire breast to treat or prevent breast cancer.
There are various alternatives available to women who decide to have their breasts rebuilt. With implants, breasts can be reconstructed (saline or silicone). The breast can occasionally be rebuilt using both implants and autologous tissue.
Breast reconstruction surgery can be performed (or begun) either immediately following a mastectomy (known as immediate reconstruction) or after breast cancer treatment has been finished and the mastectomy wounds have healed. After a mastectomy, delayed reconstruction may take place months or even years later.
A nipple and areola may be reconstructed as part of the breast reconstruction procedure if they were not saved after the surgery.
In order to ensure that the two breasts are the same size and shape, breast reconstruction surgery may be combined with surgery on the opposing breast, or contralateral breast.
How do doctors restore a woman's breast with implants?
After the mastectomy, implants are placed beneath the skin or the chest muscle. (The majority of mastectomy procedures are carried out using a technique termed skin-sparing mastectomy, in which a significant portion of the breast skin is preserved for use in breast reconstruction.)
Typically, implant placement involves two stages.
Under the skin that is still there after the mastectomy or behind the chest muscle, the surgeon inserts a tool known as a tissue expander as the initial step (1,2). Following surgery, the expander is gradually filled with saline during routine doctor appointments.
The expander is taken out and replaced with an implant in the second stage after the chest tissue has relaxed and healed sufficiently. After a mastectomy, the chest tissue is typically prepared for the implant 2 to 6 months later.
In some instances, the mastectomy and implant placement can be done simultaneously, meaning that a tissue expander is not necessary to prepare the breast for the implant (3).
Acellular dermal matrix is a substance that surgeons are increasingly using as a scaffold or "sling" to support implants and tissue expanders. Acellular dermal matrix is a type of mesh created from donated skin from pigs or humans that has been sterilised and processed to remove all cells in order to reduce the risk of infection and rejection.
How do doctors restore a woman's breast using her own body's tissue?
A piece of tissue with skin, fat, blood vessels, and occasionally muscle is removed from another part of a woman's body and utilised to reconstruct the breast in autologous tissue reconstruction. A flap is the name for this section of tissue.
Flaps from various body locations can be used for breast reconstruction. Flaps from the back or abdomen are most frequently used for breast restoration. They can, however, also be removed from the buttocks or thighs.
Back and abdominal flaps include:
DIEP flap: Tissue that solely consists of skin, blood vessels, and fat and lacks the underlying muscle comes from the abdomen. A free flap is this kind of flap.
Tissue arises from the centre and side of the back in the latissimus dorsi (LD) flap. If this kind of flap is utilised for breast reconstruction, it is pedicled. (LD flaps can also be utilised for different kinds of reconstruction.)
SIEA flap (also known as SIEP flap): Similar to a DIEP flap, tissue is taken from the abdomen, but a different set of blood vessels are present. Additionally, because it is a free flap, no abdominal muscles are severed during it.
For women who have undergone substantial abdominal surgery in the past or who lack enough abdominal tissue to reconstruct a breast, flaps obtained from the thigh or buttocks are employed. These flaps are examples of free flaps. An implant is frequently utilised in conjunction with these flaps to produce adequate breast volume.
IGAP flap: Only skin, blood vessels, and fat are present in the tissue that comes from the buttocks.
PAP flap: Muscle-free tissue that originates from the upper inner thigh.
SGAP flap: Similar to an IGAP flap, SGAP flap tissue is derived from the buttocks but comprises solely skin, blood vessels, and fat.
TUG flap: Muscle and other tissue from the upper inner thigh.
Breast Reconstruction Surgery:-
Breast reconstruction surgery is an option for women undergoing surgery for breast cancer in order to restore the breast's natural form and appearance. There are various breast reconstruction techniques. Find more about all of your options and what to anticipate both before and after surgery.
Previous Blog Post Links:-
https://sites.google.com/view/breastcancerdiagnosis/home
https://drandreaross.blogspot.com/2022/07/learning-about-breast-cancer-diagnosis.html
https://kikoxp.com/posts/13582
https://medium.com/@BreastPathology/learning-about-a-breast-cancer-diagnosis-8c179f22c7de
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learning-breast-cancer-diagnosis-dr-priya-pujhari
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learning-breast-cancer-diagnosis-sweta-pradhan
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/breastpathology/690108812593610752?source=share
https://sites.google.com/view/bone-and-soft-tissue-pathology/home
https://drandreaross.blogspot.com/2022/07/bone-and-soft-tissue-pathology.html
https://kikoxp.com/posts/13610
https://medium.com/@BreastPathology/bone-and-soft-tissue-pathology-c56689328673
https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/breastpathology/690201931232247808?source=share
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bone-soft-tissue-pathology-sweta-pradhan
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bone-soft-tissue-pathology-dr-priya-pujhari
