• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.12-18
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• 2005

The Transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flap has been commonly used for autologous breast reconstruction. Despite these clinical usefulness, the TRAM flap is prone to partial flap or fat necrosis in especially pedicled flap. To improve flap survival, the surgical delay procedures and pharmacological treatments have been developed. In many studies for the pharmacological treatment, Lipo-$PGE_1$ has demonstrated a marked ability to improve flap survival and it's effect has been proved similar to surgical delay procedure. The purpose of this study is to determine the most effective route of Lipo-$PGE_1$ administration as a pharmacological treatment in TRAM flap of the rat. Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300-350 gm were divided into five groups, One week before flap elevation, Lipo-$PGE_1$($2{\mu}g/kg$) was injected three times in a week and than the left inferior epigastric vessel based TRAM flap ($5.0{\times}3.0cm$) elevated; group I: no procedure before flap elevation; group II: intraperitoneal injection; group III: intravenous injection; group IV: subcutaneous injection; group V: topical application. A flap was assessed at postoperative 7 days by comparison of flap survival rate, vessel counts(H-E stain), and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) protein expressed by Western blot. The results demonstrated that the mean percentages of the flap survival area in group III were significantly higher than that of any other group(p<0.05). The vessel counts of all experimental groups were statistically higher than that of control group(p<0.05). Only in group III, the VEGF protein expression was increased significantly than control group and there are no difference in other experimental groups. In conclusion, the intravenous administration of the Lipo-$PGE_1$ is the most effective on flap survival, and the VEGF induced by Lipo-$PGE_1$ has some positive effects on new vessel formation and flap survival.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.105-110
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• 2001

Breast reconstruction is an aesthetically critical procedure and should be peformed to match the opposite breast in shape, contour, and position. Many methods were introduced to reconstruct the breast with autogenous tissue. But, free tissue transfer for breast reconstruction has become common method. The transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap technique has been a widely accepted method of breast reconstruction after mastectomy, since the first introduction of free abdominoplasty flap in 1979. In breast reconstruction with a free flap the selection of suitable recipient vessels remains one of the most critical decision for surgeon. The most common recipient site for free flap breast reconstruction is the axillar system. But, the use of the axillary system as a recipient site limits flap movement and flexibility in breast shaping. The use of internal mammary vessels as a recipient site be able to achieve ideal breast symmetry, but that technique require the rib resection. The selection of suitable recipient vessels is most important for successful free tissue transfer. We have performed breast reconstruction with TRAM flaps anastomozed to the internal mammary vessel perforator. We came to the conclusion that this vessel perforator is useful as a recipient site in cases of immediate breast reconstruction with free TRAM flap.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제49권3호
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• pp.324-331
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• 2022

Prior abdominal liposuction can be viewed as a relative or absolute contraindication to abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction given concerns for damaged perforators and scarring complicating intraoperative dissection. This systematic review aims to explore the outcomes of abdominally based breast reconstruction in patients with a history of abdominal liposuction. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-guided literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from the earliest available date through June 2020. Deep inferior epigastric perforator, muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM), superficial inferior epigastric artery, and pedicled TRAM flaps were included for evaluation. Complications included total or partial flap loss, fat necrosis, seroma, delayed wound healing, and donor site complications. After inclusion criteria were applied, 336 non-duplicate articles were screened, yielding 11 for final review, representing 55 flaps in 43 patients. There was no instance of total flap loss, eight (14.5%) flaps developed partial loss or fat necrosis, three (5.4%) flaps had delayed wound healing, and two (4.6%) patients had donor site complications. Most authors (8/11) utilized some type of preoperative imaging. Doppler ultrasonography was the most used modality, and these patients had the lowest rate of partial flap loss or flap fat necrosis (8%), followed by those without any preoperative imaging (10%). In conclusion, this review supports that patients undergoing abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction with a history of abdominal liposuction are not at an increased risk of flap or donor site complications. Although preoperative imaging was common, it did not reliably decrease complications. Further prospective studies are needed to address the role of imaging in improving outcomes.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제34권2호
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• pp.163-168
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• 2007

Purpose: The flap delay is a widely used technique to increase the flap survival. Dexamethasone is a well-known drug to have a positive impact on the flap survival. The objective of this study is to investigate the dual synergic effect of epinephrine as a chemical delay agent plus dexamethasone on the TRAM flap survival in rat model. Methods: Forty Sparague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups evenly and a right inferior epigastic vessel pedicled TRAM flap, sized $5.0{\times}3.0cm$, was elevated on each upper abdomen. In the control group(N=10), 2 ml saline was injected on transverse abdominis muscle for a week before the flap elevation. In surgical delay group(N=10) all superior pedicles and left inferior pedicle were ligated a week before the flap elevation. In epinephrine group (N=10), 1 : 50000 epinephrine mixed saline was injected to transverse abdominis muscle every day for a week before flap elevation. In epinephrine plus dexamethasone group (N=10), the same procedure as that of epinephrine group was conducted for a week and 2.5 ml/kg dexamethasone was injected transverse abdominis muscle 2 hours before the flap elevation. On the seventh day after flap elevation, the survival area of flaps were measured and the vessel numbers in upper dermis of flap were counted through histologic slides. Results: The results were as follows: the mean percentage of the flap survival area of surgical delay group ($60.5{\pm}2.44%$), epinephrine group ($75{\pm}4.43%$), and epinephrine plus dexamethasone group ($87{\pm}1.94%$) were higher than that of the control group ($35{\pm}6.06%$) significantly(p<0.05). In case of the vessel number though histologic slides, epinephrine group ($79.3{\pm}5.57$) and epinephrine plus dexamethasone group ($96.3{\pm}14.05$) were higher than that of the control group ($44.8{\pm}8.82$) significantly(p<0.05), but the surgical delay group ($54{\pm}4.23$) showed no significant difference (p>0.05) compared to that of the control group. Conclusion: The results indicated that epinephrine plus dexamethasone injection before the flap elevation could be used to increase the TRAM flap survival area in rat model.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.408-415
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• 2005

Following a transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous(TRAM) flap breast reconstruction, denervated state of the flap causes the flap skin prone to thermal injury, calling for special attention. During the last 5 years, 69 breast reconstruction with 72 free TRAM flaps, were performed. Four out of thesse 69 patients sustained burn injury. Heat sources were a warm bag(n=2), heating pad(n=1) and warming light (n=1). The thermal injuries occured from 2 days to 3 months following the reconstruction. Three patients healed with conservative treatment, but one patient required debridement and skin graft. Initially 3 out of 4 patients with the burn had shown superficial 2nd degree burn with small blebs or bullae. However all 4 patients healed with scars. Mechanism of burn injuries of the denervated flap are known to be resulting from; 1) loss of behavioral protection due to denervation of flap with flap elevation and transfer, 2) loss of autonomic thermoregulatory control with heat dissipation on skin flap vasculature contributing to susceptibility of burn injury. 3) changes of immunologic and normal inflammatory response increasing thromboxane, and a fall in substance P & NGF (nerve growth factor). Including the abdominal flap donor site, sensory recovery of the reconstructed breast varies individually from 6 month even to 5 years postoperatively. During this period, wound healing is delayed, resulting in easier scarring compared to that observed in the sensate skin. Patients should be carefully informed and warned of possible burn injuries and taught to avoid exposure to heat source at least until 3 years postoperatively.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.469-473
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• 2006

Purpose: The transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous(TRAM) flap has become a reliable method for autogenous breast reconstruction. However, dissection of the tendinous intersections of rectus abdominis is technically difficult. The tendinous intersection has significant vascularity within its fascial layers raising in importance of technique in elevation. If tendinous intersections are damaged during the elevation of the rectus muscle, circulation to TRAM flap can be endangered. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the number of tendinous intersections and to predict anatomical position of the tendinous intersections. Methods: We dissected 182 consecutive TRAM flaps and measured the distance between xiphoid process and each tendinous intersection and evaluated the statistic correlation among the distance, patient's height and position of umbilicus. Results: In this study, in 30.7% of patients, two tendinous intersections were observed in one rectus abdominis muscle, in 67.7% three tendinous intersections, and in 1.6% four tendinous intersections, respectively. But there was no correlation between patient's height and the distance between xiphoid process and each tendinous intersection. Conclusion: It still remains difficult to predict the position of tendinous intersections just by topography before the dissection. Careful and meticulous dissection of the tendinous intersections is still required.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제8권2호
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• pp.115-119
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• 1999

In breast reconstruction with a free flap following mastectomy, the recipient vessels most widely used are in the axillary system, which limits flap movement and flexibility in breast shaping. In addition, scarring and fibrosis can make dissection of the vessels difficult. We have performed 43 breast reconstructions using a free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous(TRAM) flap. In 10 cases out of 20 delayed reconstruction, we anastomosed to the internal mammary vessels rather than subscapular system. There has been no flap failure. The surgical techniques, advantages and limitations of the internal mammary system are presented. The internal mammary vessel are compared with the axillary vessels as a recipient vascular system.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제40권3호
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• pp.173-180
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• 2013

As microvascular techniques continue to improve, perforator flap free tissue transfer is now the gold standard for autologous breast reconstruction. Various options are available for breast reconstruction with autologous tissue. These include the free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap, deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, superficial inferior epigastric artery flap, superior gluteal artery perforator flap, and transverse/vertical upper gracilis flap. In addition, pedicled flaps can be very successful in the right hands and the right patient, such as the pedicled TRAM flap, latissimus dorsi flap, and thoracodorsal artery perforator. Each flap comes with its own advantages and disadvantages related to tissue properties and donor-site morbidity. Currently, the problem is how to determine the most appropriate flap for a particular patient among those potential candidates. Based on a thorough review of the literature and accumulated experiences in the author's institution, this article provides a logical approach to autologous breast reconstruction. The algorithms presented here can be helpful to customize breast reconstruction to individual patient needs.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• 제46권2호
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• pp.140-146
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• 2019

Background Thoracodorsal vessels (TDVs) and internal mammary vessels (IMVs) have both been widely employed as recipient vessels for use in free muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (MS-TRAM) flaps. However, whether TDVs or IMVs are preferable as recipient vessels for autologous breast reconstruction with a free MS-TRAM flap remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes when TDVs were used as recipient vessels to those obtained when IMVs were used as recipient vessels for autologous breast reconstruction with a free MS-TRAM flap. Methods A retrospective matched-cohort study was performed. We retrospectively reviewed data collected from patients who underwent a free MS-TRAM flap for autologous breast reconstructions after mastectomy between March 2003 and June 2013. After a one-to-one matching using age, 100 autologous breast reconstructions were selected in this study. Of the 100 breast reconstructions, 50 flaps were anastomosed to TDVs and 50 to IMVs. Patient demographics and clinical outcomes including operation time, length of hospital stay, postoperative complications, and aesthetic score were compared between the two groups. Results No statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in patient demographics and clinical outcomes, including the complication rates and aesthetic scores. There were no major complications such as total or partial flap loss in either group. Conclusions The results of our study demonstrate that both TDVs and IMVs were safe and efficient as recipient vessels in terms of the complication rates and aesthetic outcomes.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• 제14권2호
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• pp.125-130
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• 2005

The purpose of this study is to introduce a sensory restoration in reconstructed breast with free TRAM flap to evaluate recovery aspect and recovery quantity. 144 patients underwent breast reconstruction with free TRAM flap by authors and were followed up at the out patient clinique. We discovered that sensory of operated breast was recoverd. We divide the breast into 5 region (upper medial, lower medial, upper lateral, lower lateral, nipple areolar complex) for examining the sensory restoration. Sense of upper medial region & upper lateral region is recovered more quickly than other region. Touch sensation was recovered more quickly than pain sensation, temperature sensation, vibratory sensation. After about 1 year all protective sensation was recovered in all patient. We discovered that severe postop scar and irradiation of breast is related to delayed sensory recovery, age and size of flap is not related to sensory recovery.