What is tissue expansion by balloon?

Tissue expanders are temporary, inflatable implants that are placed on the chest, usually under the pectoralis muscle after mastectomy, and then injected with saline through a port to place the overlying soft tissue on stretch. As the expanders gets larger and larger, the skin stretches and provides more skin... more

Tissue expansion is a technique that involves the placement of an expander below the skin or the deeper tissues in order to recruit and expand these tissues.  Different types of expanders are used in different body parts. One of the commonest applications is the use of tissue expanders in breast... more

Tissue expanders are inflatable balloon-like devices that can stretch tissue to assist in the reconstruction of wounds and defects typically resulting from injury or cancer surgery.  The principles are similar to what happens to a woman's abdomen during pregnancy.  When stretching forces (inflating... more