Restorative Techniques

DIEP Flap

Using an incision similar to that used for a “tummy tuck,” skilled surgeons can reconstruct a breast from skin and fatty tissue taken from the lower abdomen—without removing any muscle.

SIEA Flap

SIEA flaps are similar to DIEP flaps in that they use skin and fat from the lower abdominal area for breast reconstruction without destroying muscle.

SGAP flap

Using an SGAP flap, the excess skin and fatty tissue from the upper buttock can be used to restore a woman’s breast, without removing muscle from the donor site.

IGAP flap

Similar to the SGAP, the IGAP flap uses skin and fat from the buttock—in this case, the lower buttock—to reconstruct a breast removed by mastectomy.

LAP Flap

Using a lumbar artery perforator flap, it is possible to reconstruct a woman’s breasts with soft tissue removed from the “love-handle” area, leaving a scar that falls along the waistline.

TUG Flap

The skin and fat of the inner thigh can also be used to reconstruct breasts with a natural feel and appearance. Though not technically a perforator flap, this reconstructive procedure is not associated with any loss of function or hernia formation, and consequently is often thought to be like a perforator flap.

TDAP Flap

The TDAP flap can be rotated from the upper back in to a position on the chest wall for use in breast reconstruction. This perforator flap is well suited for use in partial breast reconstruction and oncoplastic procedures.

Stacked DIEP

The Stacked DIEP flap allows a woman to have a breast reconstructed with significantly more tissue than is possible using other methods of natural-tissue reconstruction that use the abdomen as a donor site. This technique would be considered for a woman who requires a large breast to be shaped to match her remaining breast, or for a woman who is very thin and would not have sufficient natural tissue for a regular DIEP flap reconstruction.