DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction Using 3-dimensional Surface Imaging and a Printed Mold

Summary: Recent advances in 3-dimensional (3D) surface imaging technologies allow for digital quantification of complex breast tissue. We performed 11 unilateral breast reconstructions with deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps (5 immediate, 6 delayed) using 3D surface imaging for...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Koichi Tomita, MD, PhD, Kenji Yano, MD, PhD, Yuki Hata, MD, Akimitsu Nishibayashi, MD, Ko Hosokawa, MD, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer 2015-03-01
Series:Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/prsgo/Fulltext/2015/03000/Article.15.aspx
Description
Summary:Summary: Recent advances in 3-dimensional (3D) surface imaging technologies allow for digital quantification of complex breast tissue. We performed 11 unilateral breast reconstructions with deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flaps (5 immediate, 6 delayed) using 3D surface imaging for easier surgery planning and 3D-printed molds for shaping the breast neoparenchyma. A single- or double-pedicle flap was preoperatively planned according to the estimated tissue volume required and estimated total flap volume. The DIEP flap was then intraoperatively shaped with a 3D-printed mold that was based on a horizontally inverted shape of the contralateral breast. Cosmetic outcomes were assessed as satisfactory, as confirmed by the postoperative 3D measurements of bilateral breasts. We believe that DIEP flap reconstruction assisted with 3D surface imaging and a 3D-printed mold is a simple and quick method for rebuilding a symmetric breast.
ISSN:2169-7574