I had a mastectomy with lymph node removal, followed be chemo and radiation ( rads completed 16 months ago). All my doctors were in agreement that a bilateral diep flap reconstruction would be possible one year after radiation. My plastic surgeon says this is a 12 hour surgery, and to use silicone implant for just as favorable results and only 6 hours of surgery. I can find no pictures of anyone having this done, and am doubtful that the results will be something that looks balanced.
June 16, 2015
Answer: DIEP flap breast reconstruction I can make a few comments but without a physical examination I cannot be more accurate. Of course you can have a bilateral or unilateral DIEP flap reconstruction. If I begin with the breast surgeon performing the mastectomies my goal is to be done with all of the microsurgery, closure and have you in the recovery room by 3pm on a bilateral case and 1 to 2 pm on a unilateral case. These cases don't take 12 hours. If we start after the breast surgeon has performed bilateral mastectomies we are still done by 2 to 4 pm. The time can vary if there is an issue with dissection of a flap or with the microsurgery but myself and my partner have done over a 1000 microsurgical cases each and perform DIEP flaps every week.Three basic forms of breast
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June 16, 2015
Answer: DIEP flap breast reconstruction I can make a few comments but without a physical examination I cannot be more accurate. Of course you can have a bilateral or unilateral DIEP flap reconstruction. If I begin with the breast surgeon performing the mastectomies my goal is to be done with all of the microsurgery, closure and have you in the recovery room by 3pm on a bilateral case and 1 to 2 pm on a unilateral case. These cases don't take 12 hours. If we start after the breast surgeon has performed bilateral mastectomies we are still done by 2 to 4 pm. The time can vary if there is an issue with dissection of a flap or with the microsurgery but myself and my partner have done over a 1000 microsurgical cases each and perform DIEP flaps every week.Three basic forms of breast
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June 17, 2015
Answer: DIEP Flap v. Silicone Implant for Breast Reconstruction Hi Pleasant 1,Most plastic surgeons who do free flap breast reconstructions with DIEP flaps would prefer to do the same procedure for both breasts. Because your right breast will be an immediate reconstruction while the left side will be a delayed reconstruction, perfect symmetry will not be achieved. This will likely be seen in the size and orientation of the skin paddle. Nonetheless, the "feel" of the breast will be very similar because the tissue came from the same source. If you undergo breast reconstruction with an implant for one breast and free tissue transplantation for the other, the feel and look will be very different. Although it is very difficult to completely discerne from your photographs, it appears that you do have sufficient abdominal tissue for 2 breast reconstructions utilizing your lower abdomen. If your plastic surgeon does not feel comfortable doing a bilateral DIEP flap for you, you should respect his reservations and consider obtaining another opinion from someone who is also well versed in microsurgical breast reconstruction and does the operation on a weekly basis.
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June 17, 2015
Answer: DIEP Flap v. Silicone Implant for Breast Reconstruction Hi Pleasant 1,Most plastic surgeons who do free flap breast reconstructions with DIEP flaps would prefer to do the same procedure for both breasts. Because your right breast will be an immediate reconstruction while the left side will be a delayed reconstruction, perfect symmetry will not be achieved. This will likely be seen in the size and orientation of the skin paddle. Nonetheless, the "feel" of the breast will be very similar because the tissue came from the same source. If you undergo breast reconstruction with an implant for one breast and free tissue transplantation for the other, the feel and look will be very different. Although it is very difficult to completely discerne from your photographs, it appears that you do have sufficient abdominal tissue for 2 breast reconstructions utilizing your lower abdomen. If your plastic surgeon does not feel comfortable doing a bilateral DIEP flap for you, you should respect his reservations and consider obtaining another opinion from someone who is also well versed in microsurgical breast reconstruction and does the operation on a weekly basis.
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