Yale-New Haven Hospital offers microsurgical procedure for breast reconstruction
For Immediate Release
Date: 01/31/08
Contact: Mark D'Antonio, Mark.dantonio@ynhh.org, 203-688-2493
New Haven, Conn. - For many women, the disfigurement that comes from breast cancer surgery can be almost as traumatic as the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. But a specialized surgical technique at Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) helps women achieve good cosmetic results with quicker recovery time.
Called deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap, this state-of-the-art procedure uses excess tissue from the patient's abdomen to sculpt a new breast, while reducing the amount of post-operative pain without affecting the prognosis of breast cancer or treatment options.
"This microsurgery procedure is a significant improvement because it allows surgeons to rebuild the breast using the patient's own skin, fat and blood vessels while preserving the abdominal muscle, which is commonly used in other types of flaps," said Michael Matthew, M.D., attending plastic surgeon at YNHH and assistant professor of plastic surgery at Yale School of Medicine.
During the DIEP flap procedure, surgeons make an incision along the bikini line to remove the necessary skin, soft tissue and tiny feeding blood vessels which are matched to supplying vessels at the mastectomy site and reattached under a microscope. The tissue is then surgically transformed into a new breast mound. The abdomen is the most common donor site, since excess fat and skin are usually found in this area. In addition to reconstructing the breast the contour of the abdomen is often improved much like a tummy tuck.
"The microsurgical reconstruction with living tissue using a perforator flap, DIEP, or muscle-sparing free TRAM (Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous), has been, in my experience, superior to other techniques and has become, when indicated, my team-preferred options for post-mastectomy breast reconstruction," said Stefano Fusi, M.D., attending plastic surgeon at YNHH, and pioneer of the DIEP flap procedure at YNHH.
Added Dr. Fusi, who also serves as assistant clinical professor of surgery and plastic surgery at Yale School of Medicine, "These procedures are indeed more complex than other types of reconstruction and require an experienced, dedicated surgical team. With these new techniques, I have seen great improvement in the overall outcome of the reconstruction following mastectomy, with a softer and more natural breast, a shorter recovery and less pain."
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Yale-New Haven Hospital is a 944-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine. Yale-New Haven was founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826 and today, the hospital complex includes Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital and Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital, with a combined medical staff of about 3,400 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. See www.ynhh.org for additional information.