The American Society of Plastic Surgeons commissioned a multistakeholder Work Group to develop recommendations for autologous breast reconstruction with abdominal flaps. A systematic literature review was performed and a stringent appraisal process was used to rate the quality of relevant scientific research. The Work Group assigned to draft this guideline was unable to find evidence of superio...

BACKGROUND: Previously, we found patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction at postoperative year 1 significantly higher in the autogenous tissue compared with the expander/implant population. But breast reconstructive procedures have different “aging” processes, and the point at which outcomes stabilize is unclear. So we evaluated patient satisfaction with breast reconstruction at postope...

BACKGROUND A soft tissue defect requiring flap cover which is longer than that provided by the conventional "long" free flaps like latissimus dorsi (LD) and anterolateral thigh (ALT) flap is a challenging problem. Often, in such a situation, a combination of flaps is required. Over the last 3 years, we have managed nine such defects successfully with a free "Boomerang-shaped" Extended Rectus Ab...

To the Editor: Breast cancer is the most feared type of cancer among women. It is estimated that 4.4 million living women have had a diagnosis of breast cancer in the last 5 years (1–3). Modified radical mastectomy (MRM) remains the most frequent surgical treatment (4–6), and has been combined with breast reconstruction with the aims of enhancing body image and consequently improving quality of...

BACKGROUND Abdominal wall free flaps are used most frequently in autologous breast reconstruction, and these flaps require intact and robust deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) vessels. Pfannenstiel incisions are often present during preoperative visits for breast reconstruction and could potentially signal compromised blood supply to the lower abdominal wall. In this study, we compared ...

[Purpose] This study evaluated the effects of bridge exercise on trunk core muscle activity with respect to sling height and hip joint abduction and adduction. [Subjects] Fifteen healthy adult males participated. [Methods] In the bridge exercise, the height of the sling was set low or high during hip joint abduction and adduction. Electromyography was used to compare the differences between the...

Permanent fecal abdominal stomas significantly decrease quality of life. Previous attempts to create continent stomas by using dynamic myoplasty procedures have resulted in disappointing outcomes, primarily owing to denervation atrophy of the muscle flap that was used in the creation of the sphincter and because of muscle fatigue resulting from continuous electrical stimulation that is received...

Ventral hernia formation is a common complication of rectus abdominis musculocutaneous flap harvest. The site and extent of harvest of the flap are known contributing factors. Therefore, an accurate location of the arcuate line of Douglas, which marks the lower extent of the posterior wall of the rectus sheath, may be relevant before harvesting the flap. This study is aimed at determining the p...

OBJECTIVE To prospectively evaluate the psychosocial outcomes and body image of patients 2 years postmastectomy reconstruction using a multicenter, multisurgeon approach. BACKGROUND Although breast reconstruction has been shown to confer significant psychosocial benefits in breast cancer patients at year 1 postreconstruction, we considered the possibility that psychosocial outcomes may remain...