Breast Reconstruction

Female patients who have insufficient breast tissue and volume or a complete absence of the breast due to surgery (after breast cancer or breast siliconoma removal), trauma, or congenital anomaly, could undergo breast reconstruction surgery. The new breast without the nipple areola is called the breast mound. Reconstruction can be done immediately after tumor excision, or delayed for months or years depending on the need for adjuvant treatment or other medical conditions. Usually, the lower abdominal soft tissue are used and transferred to reconstruct the breast mound (TRAM). A breast implant, alone or in combination with a muscle flap, may be used after mastectomy in breast siliconoma or cancer surgery. Usually, the nipple-areolar complexes are best reconstructed after two to three months since much of the swelling of the new breast mound would be gone by then and better symmetry would be attained. The length of the operation varies according to the technique used by the surgeon. It is done under general anesthesia, with the patient confined for a few days in the hospital.