Ultrasound-guided preoperative skin-marking for deep inferior epigastric perforator flap surgery

Deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps remain the gold standard of autologous breast reconstruction. However, the surgical technique entails a steeper learning curve and typically requires a higher mean surgical time, in part due to the time and effort involved in physical localization of appropriate perforators at the time of surgery. This is typically performed using Doppler ultrasound, and is a potentially challenging and time-consuming task in the hands of an untrained operator. In order to mitigate these challenges, ease time pressures, promote efficient utilization of our operating theatres and improve surgical outcomes, our institution routinely performs skin-marking in advance at the Breast Radiology department. In this article, we describe our technique and experience with the procedure.