Performing breast reconstruction with the Free TRAM, DIEP, SIEA, or Gluteal flap requires the use of microsurgery.
- When using these microsurgical techniques, the tissue from your abdomen or buttock is disconnected from its original blood supply and reconnected to a new blood supply in the breast region.
- This requires use of a microscope and sutures finer than a human hair.
After surgery, careful monitoring is required to ensure that your blood vessels do not clot.
- Clotting of the vessels may happen (approximately two to five percent of the time) and necessitates an immediate return to the operating room to remove the clot.
- In most instances, the clot can be removed and the circulation restored.
- In a small number of cases (less than one percent) circulation cannot be restored and the flap is completely lost, thereby necessitating a different method of reconstruction that would be done at a later time.
Overall, microsurgery is successful about 97 to 98% of the time.