[Breast reconstruction by abdominis musculocutaneous flap]

Breast reconstruction was carried out with rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap on 7 women (8 breasts) with defect of breast, and perfect result was obtained on all the patients. The flap which was normally excised in an abdominal lipectomy was used to cover the defect of breast. The rectus abdominis of the flap was used to fill the reconstractive breast and to carry the vascularization from the internal mammary artery. The advantages of the method are as follow: (1) the waist-line is reduced by closing the musculoaponeurtic defect; (2) The scar of the donor area is well hidden by the abdominoplasty; (3) The breast reconstruction need not use an implant. The disadvantage is a risk of postoperative herniation if the suture tears.