Breast reconstruction

Although many breast cancers are diagnosed early, some women still require a mastectomy for widespread ductal carcinoma in situ or they may chose to have a prophylactic mastectomy. In many of these cases women also choose reconstruction either to be performed at the time of the mastectomy or at a later date. There are a number of methods, including sub-pectoral tissue expander and the use of myocutaneous flaps such as a latissimus dorsi flap. An autologous tissue technique is the TRAM reconstruction, which gives the best cosmetic result but can be associated with a significant morbidity and a longer recovery period.