Immediate reconstruction using a modified thoracodorsal adipofascial cutaneous flap after partial mastectomy

Abstract

The treatment of early breast cancer using breast conservation therapy (BCT) usually ensures local control and acceptable cosmetic results. We report a useful technique involving the use of a thoracodorsal adipofascial cutaneous flap for reconstructing defects in the upper-outer quadrant area after partial mastectomy that has achieved excellent results. We developed this procedure as an oncoplastic technique for treating a Japanese woman with a similar defect and a relatively slim body. In this procedure, partial mastectomy is followed by raising the anterior half of the flap via the same skin incision, and the posterior half is raised via an additional incision posterior to the axillary area to produce a crescent of de-epithelialized skin. A C-shaped flap containing a crescent of de-epithelialized skin composed of subcutaneous fat and the fascia of the latissimus dorsi muscle is then rotated, gathered, and inset into the breast defect.