This week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction(opens in a new tab) answers your questions. Q: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in December 2010 and had a bilateral mastectomy/ stage 3 with 25 malignant lymph nodes removed. My treatment was chemotherapy followed by radiation. The last radiation treatment was September 2011. I have been researching about the DIEP procedure and am very interested in having this done. I am 66 years old. Do you accept Medicare out of state? The facility in San Antonio does not.A:We will accept Medicare if you are otherwise (medically) a good candidate for the DIEP procedure. We can have our nurse Chris or P.A. Kim call you to get more information, if you like.Q: Can you have scarless breast reconstruction surgery following a double mastectomy(opens in a new tab) for triple negative breast cancer?A: There's really no such thing as 'scarless' breast reconstruction, although it is often possible to conceal(opens in a new tab) the scars quite effectively. We'd be happy to have our nurse Chris or PA Kim call you to discuss the details of your situation further, if you wish.Q: What can you do for someone who is thin (5'4', 116 pounds), has had a unilateral, nipple sparing(opens in a new tab) mastectomy with radiation? Desired cup size would be AA or A only.A: Most patients, even very thin ones, can still be reconstructed using only their own tissue(opens in a new tab), particularly if they only need one breast reconstructed, and don't need it to be very large. If you have any excess abdominal skin / fat at all, it is frequently possible to use both sides of the abdomen to reconstruct one breast (stacked DIEP). Sometimes other donor sites are better ( buttocks or posterior thigh), and most patients have some extra fat spread over their bodies that can be added as free fat grafts at a subsequent procedure after the initial flap. It may be easier to tell which donor site(s) is best during an actual examination, but we can usually get a reasonable idea from photos.Dr. Richard Kline Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction
Have a question about breast reconstruction you’d like answered from our surgical team? Just ask us!(opens in a new tab)
