Plastic surgeons provided a solution for a lady with a genetic predisposition to breast cancer. Her name is Jennifer Jablon and her family members have a history of breast cancer. The photo shown here is of Jennifer Jablon with her son Ryan who underwent a new reconstructive microsurgery after mastectomy.
“I spent about six months in denial after my mom tested positive. When I finally tested myself, I tested positive for the gene,” she recalled. During subsequent MRIs, doctors twice found benign cysts, prompting her to seek a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy — a precautionary procedure in which both breasts are removed to minimize the risk of malignancy.
After removal of breasts she has been thinking about breast reconstruction options and finally selected the new and rare microsurgery by plastic surgeons at UT Southwestern Medical Center. In doctors' language the name of the surgery is Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flap procedure.
“The DIEP flap procedure can offer women seeking breast reconstruction after a mastectomy some of the advantages of a more natural breast with the effects of a tummy tuck. Although it is more complex surgery, it preserves muscles for quicker recovery and less postoperative pain,” explained Dr. Michel Saint-Cyr, assistant professor of plastic surgery and one of the few surgeons in the nation trained to perform the procedure.
In the complex procedure of DIEP flap, surgeons reconstruct the breast with the skin and fat from the abdomen. And they reattach blood vessels to the relocated tissue which is a very complex procedure.
The procedure can be done immediately after a mastectomy, so patients can have breast tissue removed yet awaken with reconstructed breasts, Dr. Saint-Cyr said.
“The goal was to go to sleep with two and wake up with two,” said Ms. Jablon, who underwent the procedure this past spring.
Many women enjoy more youthful and firm twin assets after surgery compared to previous ones.
“This is a critical life decision, so all options should be on the table. That may not necessarily happen if the physician doesn’t have experience in all these procedures,” said Dr. Saint-Cyr, who has written numerous papers on the DIEP flap and similar procedures for peer-reviewed journals.
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