Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator Flap Breast Reconstruction in Patients With Previous Bariatric Surgery: Is It Safe and Feasible?

BACKGROUND: Obesity is widely recognized as a major health concern and a leading cause of preventable death. The correlation between obesity and breast cancer has been thoroughly described by several authors. Bariatric surgery is often associated with redundant abdominal tissue, often leading patients to consider body-contouring procedures. Autologous tissue breast reconstruction using the deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap has advantages because it is tissue that is normally discarded during postbariatric body contouring. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 18 DIEP flaps performed by the senior author in 9 patients for breast reconstruction between February 2008 and May 2013. All patients underwent mastectomies. All patients underwent bariatric surgery preceding breast reconstruction. Breast reconstruction was performed immediately in 13 cases and delayed in 5 cases. RESULTS: Mean age of the study population was 44.6 years (range, 41-57 years). The mean maximum body mass index of the patients was 44 (range, 37.6-52.1), and the mean current body mass index at the time of the reconstruction was 30.7 (range, 24.3-38.1). No intraoperative complications were reported. No fascia or muscle was taken during flap dissection. Mean operative time was 632 minutes (range, from 480 to 750 minutes). Average hospital stay was 4 days. No partial or total flap loss was reported. There were no postoperative hernias or bulges at the abdominal donor site. CONCLUSIONS: This series represents the largest group of patients undergoing DIEP flap breast reconstruction after bariatric surgery. In the hands of experienced microsurgeons, breast reconstruction with the DIEP flap in postbariatric patients represents a low-risk option with high satisfaction.

Delayed Mammoplasty with Silicone Gel Implants following DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction.

UNLABELLED: The deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap is a state-of-the-art option for breast reconstruction. However, thin patients with medium- to large-size native breasts are not ideal candidates due to the limited amount of available tissue. We reviewed our experience utilizing the DIEP flap in combination with prosthetic implants. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 7 patients, totaling 11 implants, who underwent breast reconstruction with the DIEP flap and subsequent mammoplasty. All cases underwent previous mastectomies. No implant placement was offered at the time of their DIEP flap reconstruction. Immediate breast reconstruction with the DIEP flap was performed in 9 cases, whereas 2 required delayed reconstruction secondary to postmastectomy radiotherapy. No patients received postreconstruction radiotherapy. Breast asymmetry and inadequate volume were the primary indications for mammoplasty. For all cases, we used smooth, round silicone gel implants, which were placed in the subpectoral region. RESULTS: Mean age was 43 years. One patient was actively smoking. Four patients underwent bilateral implant placement. The mean time of delay between breast reconstruction and mammoplasty was 61 weeks. Average volume of silicone implants was 229 mL. A medial pedicle vertical mastopexy was performed in 1 patient on a nonreconstructed breast to achieve symmetry. Five patients underwent nipple reconstruction. All patients underwent delayed mammoplasty without intraoperative complications and good aesthetic results. CONCLUSIONS: Delayed mammoplasty following DIEP flap breast reconstruction is a safe and feasible procedure for patients who seek an aesthetic and natural-looking breast but lack adequate abdominal tissue.

Use of high-frequency percussive ventilation in inhalation injuries.

Inhalation injury causes significant morbidity and mortality, accounting for nearly 80% of non-fire-related deaths and affecting nearly 25% of all patients hospitalized with thermal injury. High-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) has been reported to decrease both the incidence of pulmonary barotrauma and pneumonia in inhalation injury. It has evolved into a ventilatory modality promoted to rapidly remove airway secretions and improve survival of patients with smoke inhalation injury. From 1997 to 2005, a total of 92 patients with inhalation injury were treated with HFPV. This group was compared with 130 patients treated with conventional mechanical ventilation between 1997 and 2005. The diagnosis of inhalation injury was made on admission, based on the following clinical criteria: injury in a closed space, carbonaceous sputum, and/or positive bronchoscopy (presence of carbonaceous deposits, erythema or ulceration). Both modes of ventilation were begun within 24 hours of injury. Both groups were similar with respect to demographics and injury severity. The mean number of ventilator days, days in the intensive care unit, length of stay, and incidence of pneumonia did not differ significantly between groups. Twenty-six of 92 (28%) patients treated with HFPV, and 56 of 130 with conventional mechanical ventilation (43%) died. There was a significant decrease in both overall morbidity and mortality in the subset of patients with < or = 40% TBSA treated with HFPV. Future randomized, controlled trials are needed to determine the precise role of HFPV in the treatment of inhalation injuries.

The forgotten hysterectomy: the first successful abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The history of gynecology and surgery in America has been well documented. However, a landmark operation took place in 1856 that has gone unrecognized in modern surgical texts. CASE: William J. Baker and associates performed the first successful abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in Knoxville, Tennessee on November 13, 1856. The patient recovered uneventfully and lived for 34 years after her procedure. CONCLUSION: This case has yet to be noted in modern medical history texts. It is important that the accomplishments of Dr. Baker and his associates be recognized among the surgical pioneers of their day.

Cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.

Peritoneal carcinomatosis is a common and universally fatal sequelae of gastric carcinoma. Treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis from appendiceal and colorectal sources with intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (IPHC) combined with aggressive cytoreductive surgery has been shown to be effective. There are few data on this treatment modality for carcinoma of the stomach. This study evaluates cytoreductive surgery and IPHC with peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric carcinoma. Thirty-four patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis due to gastric carcinoma underwent gastric resection with cytoreductive surgery followed by IPHC with mitomycin C. A control group consisting of 40 contemporaneous patients, who underwent radical gastrectomy without extended nodal resection, was identified through the tumor registry. Despite more advanced disease in the IPHC group compared to the control group (P < 0.001), overall survival in the two groups was similar. Proportional-hazards regression analysis shows that only resection status is significantly correlated with improved survival (P=0.0068). Within the IPHC group, patients who underwent an R0/R1 resection had increased survival times (11.2 vs. 3.3 months, P=0.015) vs. those who underwent R2 resection. The group who had an R0/R1 resection had 1- and 2-year survival rates of 45% and 45% compared to 16% and 8%, respectively, in the R2 group. Cytoreductive surgery and IPHC is a modality with limited potential for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis from gastric carcinoma. Careful patient selection for this procedure is imperative, and patients in whom an R0/R1 resection can be achieved are the best candidates.