Lumbar Artery Perforator Flap: Initial Experience with Simultaneous Bilateral Flaps for Breast Reconstruction

The lumbar artery perforator (LAP) flap is a useful alternative for patients who are not a candidate for breast reconstruction using the deep inferior epigastric perforator flap. Due to the positioning and concerns for prolonged ischemia time, bilateral breast reconstruction using LAP flaps is frequently performed in separate stages. We present our early experience performing simultaneous LAP flaps for bilateral breast reconstruction.

We performed a retrospective review of all patients who underwent breast reconstruction with LAP flaps from December 2018 to September 2019. Demographics, flap data, and complication data were collected. Surgical sequence is presented.

A total of 30 simultaneous bilateral breast reconstruction were performed with LAP. We experienced 1 flap loss in an undiagnosed hypercoagulable patient. The average patient age was 52.7 years, and the average body mass index was 26.9. Most patients had a surgically absent abdominal donor site (66.7%). The average operative time was 510 minutes and ischemia time was 90.3 minutes. All flaps were performed using a composite deep inferior epigastric arterial/venous graft.

The LAP flap is an innovative, yet technically challenging, choice for autologous breast reconstruction. In our experience, simultaneous bilateral breast reconstruction using LAP flaps can be safely performed in a single surgical stage; however, we recommend caution and a coordinated team approach. With simultaneously performing bilateral LAP flaps, there is an inherent prolonged ischemia time and, thus, an increased possibility for vasospasm and intraoperative revisions. This experience represents the first series of bilateral LAP flaps performed simultaneously.