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Highlights
TRAM, DIEP and SIEA Flap for Breast Reconstruction
About TRAM, DIEP and SIEA FlapUsing a woman’s own abdominal tissue to create a new breast following mastectomy is the gold standard in breast reconstruction. The abdomen provides skin and soft tissue that is soft, warm and mobile, very much like the original breast. Plastic surgeons at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin perform three types of breast reconstruction using abdominal tissue.
TRAM FlapPlastic surgeons have used the TRAM Flap, or Transverse Rectus Abdominis Myocutaneous Flap, for more than 20 years, transferring extra tissue from the abdomen to the breast, sometimes taking one entire rectus abdominis muscle with the flap, and sometimes taking only a part of the muscle. |
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There are three primary classes of patients who make good candidates for the DIEP or SIEA Flap. |
DIEP FlapThe DIEP Flap, or Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap, represents the evolution of the TRAM technique and the current state of the art in breast reconstruction. The DIEP Flap is a microsurgical technique that involves precisely separating the skin, soft tissue and tiny blood vessels, or perforators, from the abdomen without removing any of the abdominal muscles. The blood vessels are matched to supplying vessels at the mastectomy site, and a new breast is formed. Three months later, a new nipple is reconstructed, and finally tattooing of the nipple completes the reconstruction. Leaving the abdominal muscles intact results in less post-operative pain, a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recovery. |
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Drs. John Hijjawi and Robert Whitfield discuss the benefits of the DIEP Flap in a video interview. |
The tissue taken to create a new breast using the DIEP Flap is virtually the same as that taken for a cosmetic tummy tuck or abdominoplasty. In fact, the narrow incision at the bikini line used for the DIEP Flap is identical to that made for a tummy tuck.
SIEA Flap
The SIEA Flap, or Superficial Inferior Epigastric Artery Flap, is similar to the DIEP Flap technique in that it uses skin and fatty tissue from the abdomen to replace the skin and soft tissue removed in a mastectomy.
The SIEA, however, relies on a distinctive blood supply and requires less tissue removal from the abdomen. The SIEA Flap depends on the tiny vessels of the superficial vascular system in the fatty layer just below the skin of abdomen. About 20 percent to 30 percent of women have these types of superficial arteries. Women who do not have adequate superficial blood vessels are not candidates for this procedure. The decision about which procedure to use — DIEP Flap or SIEA Flap — is made during surgery. Because less tissue is removed, the abdomen generally heals faster than with the DIEP Flap procedure.
As with the DIEP Flap procedure, the SIEA Flap preserves the abdominal muscle and leaves a thin scar and a flat belly, similar to a tummy tuck. Three months after surgery, a new nipple is reconstructed, and finally tattooing of the nipple completes the reconstruction.
Robert Whitfield, MD, and John Hijjawi, MD, board-certified plastic surgeons at Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, are among only a few surgeons in the United States who perform DIEP Flap and SIEA Flap breast reconstruction surgery.
At Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin, our team of plastic surgeons is committed to providing women with every established alternative currently available in breast reconstruction. It is our practice philosophy that by combining artistry, sound surgical science and teamwork, we can provide the best possible outcome and most satisfying experience for our patients.
| Medical Reviewer: | Robert Whitfield, MD |
Last Review Date: June 20, 2008 Online Editor(s): Christopher Sadler |
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