Bilateral breast reconstruction from a single hemiabdomen using angiosome-based flap design

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Reconstructive Surgery
• Microsurgery

Background:

• Bilateral autologous breast reconstruction typically uses flaps from both hemiabdomens.
• Vascular territories in the abdomen overlap, suggesting the possibility of harvesting multiple flaps from one side.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel technique for bilateral breast reconstruction using two abdominal flaps from a single hemiabdomen.
• To present clinical cases demonstrating the feasibility of this approach, particularly in obese patients.

Main Methods:

• Harvesting two autologous flaps based on pedicles from a single hemiabdomen.
• Utilizing the vascular supply of the superior epigastric, deep inferior epigastric, superficial inferior epigastric, and superficial circumflex iliac vessels.

Main Results:

• Successfully performed bilateral breast reconstructions using two flaps from one hemiabdomen in three clinical scenarios.
• Reported the first instances of metachronous and synchronous bilateral breast reconstructions utilizing this single-hemiabdomen flap principle.

Conclusions:

• Harvesting two abdominal flaps from a single hemiabdomen is a viable option for bilateral breast reconstruction.
• This technique offers a potential solution for obese patients requiring extensive tissue for reconstruction.