What Are my Options for Filling an Indentation Left After Lumpectomy?

Breast reconstruction after lumpectomy is becoming increasing common as breast conservation in the face of breast cancer becomes more sophisticated. Many times lumpectomy defects can be very challenging to reconstruct.
The first issue involves whether you have had radiation. Irradiated breasts are more common in people who have had lumpectomies and make reconstruction more complicated.
Typically radiation will require the usage of "autologous" tissue (meaning your own). The benefit of this tissue is in this situation it would typically be taken from an area outside of the field of radiation and would not have radiation issues. Many times patients who have had radiation will also require some amount of skin on the tissue that is transported. The tissue that can be used includes lat. dorsi (back skin and muscle) or microsurgical breast reconstruction techniques including DIEP, SIEA or SGAP. All these letters stand for different microsurgical flaps that are commonly used for breast reconstruction.
If you haven't had radiation local tissue rearrangement or custom implants might be used for reconstruction.
In addition fat transfer can be very useful for filling in small defects with the qualification being sometimes the scarring can create calcifications that make breast cancer more complicated.
Typically injectables or alloderm alone would be an inappropriate choice for breast reconstruction, especially in a patient that had received radiation.
I hope this helps!
Steve Williams, MD

Fat grafting has become a popular procedure to improve aesthetic outcome following breast reconstruction or for improvement of contour after lumpectomy.  Much of the newest research has investigated the properties of fat, in terms of its stem cell properties and associated advantages.

At our Breast Reconstruction Center, we have utilizing this technique almost routinely to maximize the aesthetic outcomes after lumpectomy or mastectomy.  We have utilized the micro-fat grafting technique, and have been obtaining maximal fat graft survival into the breast.  After harvesting of the fat from areas with excess fat, usually the belly, hips, or thighs, the fat is processed and injected back into the breast using the aforementioned techniques.  Our patients have been very happy with the results as well as the areas where the liposuction was performed.  Contour has been much improved using the micro-fat grafting technique, and the downtime is minimal.

Fat grafting has become a mainstay in breast reconstruction and has added another edge to breast reconstruction for aesthetics with minimal morbidity and complications.

The most important component in the decision making is whether you have undergone or will undergo radiation therapy. Radiation may affect your current breast implant and may further compromise your candidacy to undergo reconstruction with a prosthesis (tissue expander or implant).
Depending on the amount of radiation received, you may be a candidate for breast reconstruction using your own tissue. Examples of these muscle flaps include the rectus muscle and latissimus muscle.
Recently, a lot of attention is being placed on the latissimus muscle as a suitable option for breast conservation reconstruction. Refer to www.pubmed.org for references to these articles about the latissimus muscle.