Reconstruction mammaire en terrain irradié par lambeau libre DIEP compliqué d’une rupture spontanée de l’artère mammaire interne : à propos d’un cas

[Reconstruction of abdo-perineal resection by Taylor flap: About 68 patients]

PURPOSES

Healing after abdomino-perineal resection is often difficult, especially in patients who have undergone radiation therapy. Vaginal reconstruction is also an important issue for the women who undergo this surgery. We describe and analyze here our series of perineal reconstructions with modified Taylor flaps. Between 2010 and 2016, 68 patients (52 women, 16 men) with cancer of the anal canal (53), adenocarcinoma of the lower rectum (9), or other malignant neoplasms of the perineum underwent reconstruction with a rectus abdominis myocutaneous (RAM) flap with an inferior pedicle and an oblique skin paddle.

RESULTS

This review of records showed that all patients healed, with a median of 30 days. The reoperation rate was 11.7% including 1 for eventration. The principal causes for delayed healing were scar dehiscence, abscess, and partial necrosis. No flap required removal, however. The mean duration of hospitalization was 23.7 days.

CONCLUSION

Modified Taylor flaps substantially improved the reconstruction of defects resulting from abdomino-perineal resection. They enabled complete and rapid healing with low comorbidity.

[Strategies in case of unusable internal mammary vessels in a mammary reconstruction by DIEP]

INTRODUCTION

We analyzed the strategy of microvascular connection during the DIEP in case of unusable internal mammary vessels in intraoperative period.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

It is about five cases of mammary reconstructions by DIEP practiced in a plastic surgery department. We modified our connections because the quality of the artery and/or the vein was considered insufficient.

RESULTS

In case of internal mammary artery unusable, we changed the donor site and the flap was anastomosed with circumflexe scapular vessels. In case of internal mammary vein judged unusable but with usable artery, we anastomosed the DIEP with the internal mammary artery and with the cephalic vein. We added a venous substitution by the second connection with the deep inferior epigastric venous by coupler's technique.

CONCLUSION

Circumflexe scapular artery was the first alternative of internal mammary artery. In every case we protected the thoracodorsal pedicle.

[Breast reconstruction with TRAM flap after selective embolization of the deep inferior epigastric artery (series of 69 patients)]

Vascular complications of the unipedicled TRAM flap pointed out the need for solutions to decrease such occurrences. The flap surgical delay before transfer has been advocated to improve the blood supply but, at the same time, it increases the risk of wound infection at the donor site and imposes a general anesthesia. The DIEP and the free TRAM flap are more complex procedures and need heavy structural resources. Preferential use of the ipsilateral muscular pedicle suggests a lower partial flap necrosis rate. Selective embolization of the deep inferior epigastric arteries prior to surgery realizes an alternative delay and brings a decrease in the vascular complication rate as shown in a study of 40 patients by Scheufler in 2000. We present a series of 69 patients who were reconstructed by means of a delayed pedicled TRAM flap with selective embolization and a predominant use of the ispsilateral pedicle. Sonographic studies performed in 48 patients prior to surgery showed no significative difference in the diameter of the superior epigastic arteries, with or without previous radiotherapy. The mean interval between embolization and surgery was 30 days; the embolization was performed bilateraly in five patients (4 %), and unilaterally in 64 patients (96 %). The mean age of patients was 54 years, radiotherapy was applied in 43 patients (62 %), smoking patients: 11 (16 %), obesity: five (7 %). The ispsilateral pedicled was used in 67 patients (97 %), controlateral pedicle in two patients (3 %). Postoperative flap complications were comprised of partial flap necrosis in two cases (2,9 %), fat necrosis in six cases (8,7 %), impaired wound healing in three cases (4,3 %), abdominal wall weakness in two cases (2,9 %). We compared the present study of ispsilateral delayed pedicled flap to a study from the same authors concerning controlateral pedicled flaps without delay. It has been demonstrated that the complications rate of partial necrosis was divided by four in the first study compared to the second. The preoperative selective embolization of the deep inferior epigastric artery in association with the use of ipsilateral pedicule in TRAM flap decrease the complications rate significatively compared to the controlateral pedicled flap in TRAM flaps.