Latissimus Dorsi Breast Reconstruction

At 46 years old this woman was looking at her increasing chances of having a breast cancer diagnosis. She had a family history of breast cancer, had dense breast tissue that made reading her mammograms difficult and had a recent breast biopsies that showed pre-cancerous tissue. After talking with medical professionals she decided to proceed with bilateral prophylactic mastectomies. She also wanted to have breast reconstruction at the time of her mastectomies. She met with one of our experienced surgeons to discuss her options for breast reconstruction. For her the best option was to use her latissimus dorsi muscle along with a tissue expander to reconstruct her breasts. At the time of her mastectomies her reconstructive process was started. The latissimus flaps were raised and used as soft tissue coverage for the tissue expanders. Her surgeon also reconstructed a new nipple and areola complex for each breast at the first stage. Eleven months later her tissue expanders were replaced with smooth round gel breast implants. Revisions of the precious incisions on her breasts and back donor sites were also done. She is now a couple of months out from her second stage of breast reconstruction with a very favorable result and the peace of mind of reducing her risks of developing a breast cancer in the future significantly.

This 44 year old woman who was otherwise very healthy showed up with a breast cancer. She was referred here for a consult to discuss her options for immediate breast reconstruction. She did not have enough tissue on her abdomen to reconstruct both breasts so her surgeon used the muscle on her back along with tissue expanders to reconstruct her breasts. This 1st stage was done as an in patient. Seven months later she went back to the operating room for her 2nd stage of breast reconstruction. Her tissue expanders were replaced with smooth round gel breast implants, revisions were made to her scars and breast shape and her nipple and areolas were reconstructed. Seven months later her nipple and areolas were tattooed. These photos show her at one year after her 2nd stage and 6 months after her tattooing. She has a very beautiful breast reconstruction and is very happy that she chose the surgeon and method of reconstruction that she did!