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Case Reports
. 2015 Jun;74(6):693-4.
doi: 10.1097/SAP.0000000000000289.

Herpes zoster in a free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap after delayed breast reconstruction: evidence of spontaneous reinnervation

Jeong Hui Lee  1 , Hee Chang Ahn, Min Sung Chung
Affiliations
Case Reports

Herpes zoster in a free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap after delayed breast reconstruction: evidence of spontaneous reinnervation

Jeong Hui Lee et al. Ann Plast Surg. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

In concert with advances in surgical reconstruction techniques and improved survival after breast cancer, both the aesthetic and functional outcomes, especially sensory recovery, of breast reconstruction have been addressed. Most studies on sensory recovery in reconstructed breasts have utilized patients' subjective responses to touch, pain, temperature, and pressure. In contrast, this report describes a case of herpes zoster that developed in a free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flap, which provides objective evidence of spontaneous reinnervation after breast reconstruction.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
A, Herpes zoster eruption on the left chest wall involving the TRAM flap. B, Eruption on the left back along the distribution of the T5 dermatome.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
A, After antiviral therapy. The eruption on the left chest wall involving the TRAM flap disappeared. B, Eruption on the left back disappeared after antiviral therapy.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Nine sites were tested for sensation of the reconstructed, left breast and the nonoperated, right breast.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Pressure threshold scores from the Semmes-Weinstein test for the 9 sites of both breasts.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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