Total Breast Reconstruction with Fat Grafting Combined with Internal Tissue Expansion

Abstract

Breast reconstruction procedures are currently performed as standard practice and are an integral part of breast cancer treatment. The advantages and disadvantages of particular types of reconstruction are well known. Most of them require the woman to accept a different consistency of the reconstructed breast, as is the case with implants, or to have extra scarring in the donor site and a cutaneous island with a different texture in the recipient site, as is the case with TRAM, DIEP, and other flaps. This article presents the concept of breast reconstruction with fat grafting combined with internal tissue expansion. A 44-year-old woman after a right mastectomy for invasive carcinoma T1c, N0 (IIB) was presented. After unsatisfactory treatment with fat grafting supported by BRAVA system, she was qualified for breast reconstruction with fat grafting combined with tissue expansion. An anatomic 350 cm3 breast expander with an integrated port was implanted. It was filled with saline solution up to volume of 380 ml. Then, 7 fat grafting procedures combined with gradual emptying of the expander were performed. The 50/70 principle was used, that is, 50 ml of physiological saline was removed from the expander and 70 ml of fat was injected into the subcutaneous tissue over the expander. Finally, the expander was removed and a satisfactory volume and completely natural consistency of the breast was obtained. Breast reconstruction with fat grafting combined with tissue expansion is a promising method of total breast reconstruction after mastectomy.