Patients considering breast reconstruction following mastectomy for breast cancer have several options from which to choose.  Breast can be reconstructed from tissue transferred from another part of the body, such as the abdomen (TRAM flap), the back (Latissimus Flap), or under favorable conditions the remaining tissue on the chest can be used for a very satisfactory reconstruction using a tissue expander technique.

Patients often ask what the advantages of tissue expander breast reconstruction are.  In cases of immediate breast reconstruction, using a tissue expander technique adds minimal time and morbidity to the patients’ initial mastectomy procedure.  Patients are usually able to leave the hospital much sooner and return to their daily work activities more rapidly as compared to more extensive tissue transfer techniques such as TRAM or Latissimus Flap procedures.

Another advantage of the tissue expander technique for breast reconstruction is the avoidance of additional truncal scars of either the lower abdomen or back that can often times be of an unfavorable quality.

A second simple outpatient procedure is required with tissue expander reconstruction to remove the initial expander device and place a permanent silicone gel implant.  At the time of this second procedure the patient and surgeon have an opportunity to further fine tune the final reconstructed breast size and shape through surgical modification and breast implant choice.  Please visit Dr. Burkett’s website for additional information concerning breast reconstruction or to schedule a consultation.

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