Avoiding Chest Wall Morbidity in Outpatient Microvascular Free-Flap Breast Reconstruction

Background. Removal of the rib and adjacent cartilage is a common step for exposure of the recipient chest vessels in free-flap breast reconstructions. However, this adds both short- and long-term morbidity to the procedure. We describe our experience in avoiding rib removal in microvascular breast reconstruction. Patients and Methods. We retrospectively reviewed recipient vessel preparation in free-flap breast reconstructions performed by a single surgeon (SGB). Results. A total of 556 consecutive patients, totaling 1106 flaps over 5 years, were assessed. Recipient vessels included IMA in 1068 flaps and internal mammary perforator in 38 DIEP flaps. Nine patients underwent bilateral DIEP flap breast reconstruction with a cross-chest anastomosis, where the IMA was the recipient. Also, the IMA was used in 171 patients who underwent breast reconstruction with stacked flaps. No instances of complete rib resection were reported. However, in two cases of delayed DIEP flap reconstruction without a history of radiation, resection of 20% of the rib was required for safe vessel preparation. No intraoperative complications were observed, and three flaps from different patients were lost (one PAP and two DIEPs). Conclusions. Microsurgery in free-flap breast reconstructions has greatly evolved in the past two decades. Exposure of the IMA recipient vessels typically involves the removal of a portion of the intercostal cartilage and the rib, allowing comfortable and safe management of the vasculature during dissection and anastomosis. Nonetheless, excessive removal often leads to short-term increased pain and long-term cosmetic and functional complications, such as a noticeable depression of the chest wall especially noted in thin patients with small flaps. Our approach can be safely employed to preserve the anatomy and decrease pain, allowing for outpatient performance of these procedures.