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Will My Insurance Company Pay for a Mastectomy to Reduce My Risk of Breast Cancer?

April 29, 2011 by

health insuranceWe’re putting a little twist on our Ask the Doctor post today. We receive lots of great questions from patients; some are medical while others pertain to insurance, billing, and other-office related information. Today, I will be answering a popular question we receive regarding insurance.

I’d like to have a mastectomy to reduce my risk of breast cancer.  Will my insurance company pay for it?

Most insurance companies do have criteria under which they will consider a prophylactic mastectomy medically necessary—as a reminder, if they pay for your mastectomy they must also cover a reconstructive procedure of your choice. There are always exceptions to this rule, as outlined in WHCRA 1998, but this law does protect the majority of women insured in the United States.

I’ll highlight some of the actual criteria obtained from medical policy documents from some of the nation’s largest insurers. This is a pretty comprehensive list but it’s always a good idea to consult your plan’s medical policy documents to determine their specific coverage criteria prior to undergoing any medical / surgical procedure.

“BIG INSURANCE CO #1” covers prophylactic mastectomy as medically necessary for the treatment of individuals at high risk of developing breast cancer when any ONE of the following criteria is met:

Individuals with a personal history of cancer as noted below:

Individuals with a personal history of breast cancer when any ONE of the following criteria is met:

  • Diagnosed at age 45 or younger, regardless of family history.
  • Diagnosed at age 50 or younger and EITHER of the following:
    • At least one close blood relative with breast cancer at age 50 or younger.
    • At least one close blood relative with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.
  • Diagnosed with two breast primaries (includes bilateral disease or cases where there are two or more clearly separate ipsilateral primary tumors) when the first breast cancer diagnosis occurred prior to age 50.
  • Diagnosed at any age and there are at least two close blood relatives* with breast cancer or epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer diagnosed at any age.
  • Personal history of epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.
  • Close male blood relative with breast cancer.
  • An individual of ethnicity associated with higher mutation frequency (e.g., founder populations of Ashkenazi Jewish, Icelandic, Swedish, Hungarian, or Dutch).
  • Development of invasive lobular or ductal carcinoma in the contralateral breast after electing surveillance for lobular carcinoma in situ of the ipsilateral breast.
  • Lobular carcinoma in situ confirmed on biopsy.
  • Lobular carcinoma in situ in the contralateral breast.
  • Diffuse indeterminate microcalcifications or dense tissue in the contralateral breast that is difficult to evaluate mammographically and clinically.
  • A large and / or ptotic, dense, disproportionately-sized contralateral breast that is difficult to reasonably match the ipsilateral cancerous breast treated with mastectomy and reconstruction.
  • Personal history of epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, or primary peritoneal cancer.
  • Personal history of male breast cancer.

Individuals with no personal history of breast or epithelial ovarian cancer when any ONE of the following is met:

  • Known breast risk cancer antigen (BRCA1 or BRCA2), p53, or PTEN mutation confirmed by genetic testing.
  • Close blood relative with a known BRCA1, BRCA2, p53, or PTEN mutation.
  • First- or second-degree blood relative meeting any of the above criteria for individuals with a personal history of cancer.
  • Third-degree blood relative with two or more close blood relatives with breast and / or ovarian cancer (with at least one close blood relative with breast cancer prior to age 50).
  • History of treatment with thoracic radiation.
  • Atypical ductal or lobular hyperplasia, especially if combined with a family history of breast cancer.
  • Dense, fibronodular breasts that are mammographically or clinically difficult to evaluate, several prior breast biopsies for clinical and / or mammographic abnormalities, and strong concern about breast cancer risk.

Who is a close blood  relative? A close blood relative / close family member includes first- , second-, and third-degree relatives.

A first-degree relative is defined as a blood relative with whom an individual shares approximately 50% of his / her genes, including the individual’s parents, full siblings, and children.

A second-degree relative is defined as a blood relative with whom an individual shares approximately 25% of his / her genes, including the individual’s grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, and half-siblings.

A third-degree relative is defined as a blood relative with whom an individual shares approximately 12.5% of his / her genes, including the individual’s great-grandparents and first-cousins.

GET IT IN WRITING: Some of the above criteria may sound like Greek to most of us.  Ultimately the key to finding out if your insurance will consider prophylactic mastectomy in your individual case lies in the hands of your physician and you. A comprehensive set of medical records clearly outlining your particular risk along with a request made to your insurance company for written pre-authorization or pre-determination of benefits is the best thing to do to assure if your insurance company will consider your procedure medically necessary.

–Gail Lanter, CPC, Office Manager

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The Three Stages of DIEP / GAP Free Flap Breast Reconstruction

April 22, 2011 by

The below question is answered by Christina Hobgood Naugle, PA-C, of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction.

charleston breast surgeons

Christina Hobgood Naugle, PA-C

What are the stages involved in DIEP / GAP free flap breast reconstruction?

The stages of breast free flap reconstruction at our facility can vary depending upon what time in the treatment process we initially meet the patient. The best scenario occurs when the treatment is mastectomy, alone. In those patients, we are able to discuss a skin and possible nipple-sparring mastectomy. This approach means that there is a possibility that the patient would only require one step, although most women are not opposed to a second stage when liposuction, “body contouring,” is involved. Many patients do not have this opportunity, so for them, this process usually involves three stages.

The first stage, being the most involved, is the “technical” stage—the microsurgery element.  After meeting with one of our physicians and discussing the best donor site tissue (tummy, buttocks or inner thigh) the process begins and we relocate the tissue to form a new breast mound. Only the donor site fatty tissue and the blood vessels that nourish that tissue are removed. NO muscle is sacrificed. This blood supply is separated from the body and reconnected to the vessel in the chest wall that once nourished the native breast.

Since the new breast mound is solely relying on the tiny vessels we reconnected initially, we keep you in the hospital for four days to monitor the blood flow into the relocated tissue. This stage of the procedure can require about a six to eight week recovery period, depending upon healing. It varies greatly when women are feeling well enough to return to work or resume the activities they enjoyed prior to surgery.

About three months after Stage One, we may begin discussing each specific patient’s Stage Two.  Three months is the minimum amount of time that we allow. In some cases, we recommend waiting slightly longer than three months (example: radiated tissue, healing issues, or unilateral reconstruction).

Stage Two could be described as the “plastic surgery” side of the breast reconstruction. This is the stage where we fine tune everything that was accomplished in the first procedure, and attempt to improve upon your concerns and how clothes fit. During the first stage, we try our best to achieve symmetry between the two breasts, but sometimes the doctors are limited on the shaping that they are able to accomplish because of the microsurgery portion. Stage Two is about improving symmetry between the two breasts, re-building a nipple if needed, and improving the donor site. This is usually an outpatient hospital procedure but, on the rare occasion, the patient may need to stay overnight.

The procedures performed during this stage vary from person to person, according to their needs. Recovery time varies, too. It could be as little as a day or two weeks, according to the procedures that need to be performed to achieve your desired result.

Three months after your second stage, it is time for your areola tattoo, Stage Three. Women who were able to save their nipple / areola complex at Stage One do not require this stage and are complete at Stage Two. The tattoo is performed in the office under local anesthesia. There is really nothing to this phase. You may drive yourself to the office and expect to be out in one to two hours. It’s really a lot like a social visit and other than exposing your newly tattooed area to public bodies of water like swimming pools, lakes or beaches, there is not much aftercare to speak of. Simple local wound care is all that is required. The risks are minimal and infection and complications are rare.

Many women think of the tattooing as the final hurdle. The best comment I’ve heard was from a woman who stated that after the tattoo healed, she got out of the shower one day and upon looking in the mirror, felt like everything was behind her.

A few other things to keep in mind:

  • Scars look their worse at about three to six months, from that point they should steadily lighten and become less noticeable. It’s hard, but be patient. It takes a while for scars to fully mature and everyone is different.
  • You’ll meet with your surgeon and discuss the best case scenario for you and how to get your breast reconstruction accomplished in as few steps as possible. It is important, even though you are plagued with so many other physicians and concerns, to meet with your surgeon before you have your mastectomy to keep the surgical stages to a minimum. At this point, we’re able to discuss with you your breast surgeon incision site techniques and helpful concepts to improve you final outcome. We also ask your surgeon to weigh the amount of breast tissue removed. It helps for our reconstructive surgeons to know how much breast tissue was removed with your mastectomy and use that number to work toward  rebuilding your new breast, hopefully achieving a symmetrical result earlier in the process to minimize the number of surgical stages.

  • Most patients after the first stage have breast mounds and feel comfortable in clothing. If they must delay State Two of their procedure to undergo chemotherapy, build up time off from work, or just desire time with their family, they are not on a time restriction. (Do keep in mind your deductable.)

  • Vanity is not even a consideration in the breast reconstruction process and these surgeries are not cosmetic plastic surgical procedures. It all comes down to trying to get your body back together and make you as happy as possible, so you can move forward with your life and not have the reminder of everything that you have been through and overcome.
  • Procedures in the breast not affected by breast cancer are insurance covered reconstructive procedures, too. When patients have unilateral reconstruction, achieving symmetry is a little bit more complicated. We have to let the newly relocated tissue settle and heal. The second stage surgical procedures in this case can include, breast lift, reduction, and / or minor procedures to fine tune and attempt to achieve symmetry between the native and reconstructed breast.

We like our patients to discuss with us the things that bother them about their reconstructive result. There are usually things we can improve upon, whether it’s a local procedure in our office or an additional stage. The three stages described in this piece are an outline to the overall process.

Breast reconstruction cases vary and affect each individual differently based upon a number of factors. Some people require one stage and others two or three outpatient or minor procedures to return their bodies back to where they are comfortable and confident.  After you overcome the first stage, the rest are just fine tuning by standard outpatient procedures and local procedures. It is all about making you as comfortable and confident as possible.

—Christina Hobgood Naugle, PA-C

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What is Fat Necrosis and Should I Be Concerned About It?

April 15, 2011 by

The below question is answered by Dr. James Craigie of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction.

Dr. James Craigie

After my stage one DIEP surgery, I have some lumpy areas that I am told are fat necrosis.  Do they go away or what can you do about them? I am due to have stage two of my surgery soon.

Fat necrosis is a generalized term that results following injury or surgery when fat no longer has an adequate blood supply to survive. When fat does not survive and is in the breast the body develops scar or firmness as part of the healing process. A small amount of fat necrosis may go away on its own and larger amounts may persist indefinitely making the breast feel hard.

Following a DIEP or other muscle sparing breast reconstruction some of the fat transferred to the breast may not receive enough blood supply to survive the healing process. When this happens you may feel small lumps in the new breast about 1 – 2 months after the first surgery, sometimes sooner depending on where the lump is. These are usually small areas that can be removed at the second stage without affecting the end result. This is the most common situation we encounter.

On a larger scale, if something has occurred during the course of surgery and the tissue was transferred with an inadequate blood supply, the entire breast or a major portion of it could develop into fat necrosis. This is the most severe situation and would be considered a major complication or even failure of the procedure. Fortunately, in our experience, this situation is rare and the surgeon will know this has happened and should discuss options for correction.

If someone has a new breast lump and has a history of breast cancer, they are likely to undergo biopsies or have some concern over the area. Lumps that are fat necrosis may make breast exams more difficult or confusing and increase the chance that a new cancer or recurrence goes undetected. So anytime there is obvious fat necrosis after the first stage of surgery, we would make attempts to remove it. Initially, when a patient states they feel a firm area, I always remind them that what they feel on the outside will feel larger than the actual amount of fat necrosis tissue because the body is creating a reaction to the tissue trying to dissolve it.

It should be stressed that even patients who have undergone breast reconstruction should continue to do breast self-examinations. Any surgery on the breast will cause swelling and scarring. In many women who undergo reconstruction with breast implants, the body creates a capsule in response to these implants and all of these scars, capsules, or post surgical changes can feel like lumps and bumps following surgery. Therefore, it is important to know that fat necrosis may become apparent soon after surgery and should stay the same and not enlarge as time goes by. Alert your doctor regarding any breast lump that seems to enlarge. It is also important to know that breast exams will not be useful until after stage one and two are completed and the breast has had several months to recover from the surgery.

Once the reconstructive process is complete, things should not be changing. Patients should become familiar with any area that feels firm. If there are scars remaining after surgery, the patient should keep track of where they are and monitor them for changes. Changes in size or significant changes of any type should always be brought to the attention of your physician even in a reconstructed breast.

—James Craigie, M.D.

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Is a DIEP Flap Reconstruction Right for You?

April 8, 2011 by

 

The below question is answered by Dr. Richard M. Kline, Jr., of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction.

My plastic surgeon told me that I did not have enough excess tissue in my abdomen to have a DIEP. What can I do now?

That’s a common question, thanks for asking. Many women wonder themselves if they actually have enough tissue for DIEP flap reconstruction, and others are told by their plastic surgeon that they do not. When assessing whether or not a patient’s abdomen can meet their reconstructive needs, several factors need to be taken into account.

First, are we talking about reconstructing one breast, or both breasts? Obviously, reconstructing both breasts takes twice as much tissue as reconstructing one breast. When only one breast is needed, it is possible to use both sides of the abdomen to reconstruct just one breast. This is called a “stacked flap,” which utilizes both sides of the abdomen, with two separate blood supplies, to make just one breast. We routinely do this procedure for patients who just need one breast reconstruction, but require both sides of their abdomen to get the size breast that they desire. It’s more complicated than connecting just one blood supply, but our practice has performed this operation well over a hundred times, with excellent success. In fact, we believe that stacked flaps may be less susceptible to fat necrosis (a complication of DIEP flaps where some of the fat, usually on the edge, dies and gets hard) than ordinary DIEP flaps.

Second, in trying to answer this question, the patient’s desired breast size must be taken into account. A patient who wants both breasts reconstructed to size “D,” but who does not have enough abdominal tissue to make a” D” size breast on each side, might have adequate tissue to make a “B” sized breast on each side. In this situation, if “B” sized breasts would not be acceptable to the patient, then we would usually recommend using the buttocks (a GAP flap) as the donor site.

Use of the buttocks for breast reconstruction, particularly for reconstructing both breasts at the same surgery, is significantly more complicated than using the DIEP flap. Fortunately, we have extensive experience with this procedure, having performed it several hundred times with a 99% success rate. If a patient did not wish to use their buttocks as the donor site, then they would still have the option of accepting a smaller breast size from the abdomen, or they may possibly decide to use implants, foregoing autologous reconstruction altogether.

Finally, for the patient who is told by their surgeon that they do not have enough tissue for a DIEP flap, it is worth noting that it can be extremely difficult for a surgeon who does not routinely perform DIEP flaps to properly assess the amount of donor tissue a patient has available in her abdomen. The thickness of the subcutaneous fat, which is the thickness that can be “pinched” between the skin and the muscle of the abdominal wall, is of paramount importance in assessing how large a breast can be made from the DIEP flap.

In addition, the maximum height of the flap also plays a role in determining what size breast can be made. In assessing how “high” a flap can be safely harvested from the abdomen, it is important to look at how much loose skin is present between the belly button and the bottom of the ribs.  If there is a lot of loose skin in this area, then it will stretch downward more easily to close the lower abdominal wound after harvest of the flap, thus allowing for a larger flap to be obtained. Again, precise assessment of the availability of abdominal donor tissue requires a significant amount of experience on the part of the surgeon, and is ideally performed while examining the patient in person, as opposed to simply looking at photographs.

In closing, to determine if a patient has “enough tissue for a DIEP flap,” we must ask these questions:

  • Are we reconstructing one or both breasts?
  • What size breast are we attempting to reconstruct?
  • What is an experienced surgeon’s assessment of how much tissue can be removed from the abdomen?

Only by taking all of the above into account can a meaningful answer to the question be obtained. We believe that effective communication between the patient and the reconstructive team, in this situation and in most others, is often the key to a successful and happy outcome.

—Richard M. Kline, Jr., M.D.

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Who Can Have a Skin-Sparing and Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy and Why?

April 1, 2011 by

**We are delighted to introduce our guest blogger, Dr. Paul Baron, MD F.A.C.S of Cancer Specialists of Charleston. Dr. Baron shares with us his insight on who can have a skin-sparing and nipple-sparing mastectomy and why.

See below for Dr. Baron’s guest post:

The best cosmetic results from breast reconstruction are clearly in patients who still keep much of the original skin of the breast. It leads to a more normal shape, appearance, and texture. In the past, the fear was that the cancer overlying a breast tumor needed to be removed; even if the cancer was far away from the skin in the back of the breast. All mastectomies were done with a large horizontal elliptical incision that removed a large segment of skin extending from the sternum to the lateral chest. The nipple and areola were removed at the same time as there was concern that the cancer could march up the ducts and be left behind if the nipple is left behind.  As a result, there was not enough pliable tissue to allow placement of an implant or tissue flap under the skin. The reconstruction could only be done by stretching the skin first with a tissue expander or leaving a large island of skin with the attached underlying flap of tissue (TRAM, latissimus, DIEP, or GAP). The result was a very unnatural breast reconstruction.

We now know that in most mastectomies, virtually all the skin overlying the breast can be left behind as long as the cancer is not immediately underneath it. In this case, we still remove a small patch of overlying skin. The most common incision for a skin-sparing mastectomy goes just around the areola with an extension inferiorly (kind of like a tennis racket shape), or a horizontal ellipse that is half the distance of the more traditional mastectomy incision. The resulting reconstruction is more natural in appearance as there is a very small scar and often no visible island of skin.

Another approach gaining in popularity is a nipple-sparing mastectomy. In this case, the entire breast is removed through an incision that completely leaves the nipple and areola intact. There are many ways to make this incision. Clearly these patients have the most normal appearing breast reconstruction. Also, to relieve the concern of cancer cells being left in the ducts, we actually core out the ducts as they enter the nipple. The shell of the nipple is left behind and as a result, often looks better than the nipple reconstruction.

We will not perform a nipple-sparing mastectomy if the cancer is close to the nipple. Also, if a patient had a prior mastectomy in which the nipple and areola were removed with one breast, we will usually remove the contra lateral nipple at the time of prophylactic mastectomy so the reconstruction result is symmetrical. It should also be pointed out that in most cases in which the nipple is left behind, it does not have normal sensation. It can have sensation to touch and temperature, but lose erotic sensation.

We have made huge strides in breast cancer surgery. For patients requiring or choosing mastectomy, the final reconstructed version can have a natural reconstruction as a result of usually leaving the skin behind as part of a skin-sparing mastectomy. We have improved this even more by performing nipple-sparing mastectomies. The optimum result is when the breast surgeon works as a team with the plastic surgeon in planning the type of mastectomy from a cancer point of view, and the orientation of the incision from a cosmetic point of view.

About Dr. Paul Baron:

Dr. Baron is Board Certified in General Surgery and completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He is a graduate from the Boston University Six-Year Medical Program. Dr. Baron subsequently completed a residency in General Surgery at the Medical College of Virginia.

Cancer Specialists of Charleston – www.cancerspecialistsofcharleston.com

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What Are My Options If I Develop Lymphedema?

March 25, 2011 by

I’ve had breast cancer and developed lymphedema after my mastectomy.  I recently heard about Lymph Node Transfer surgery.  Does it work?  I’m scheduled for a DIEP breast reconstruction, can it be done at the same time?

Question answered by Dr. James Craigie:

Lymphedema is a very difficult problem that results when a patient has had breast cancer and has to undergo surgical removal of the lymph nodes under the arm as part of their surgical treatment for breast cancer. There are other causes of lymphedema but our specific interest has been in patients who have had breast cancer.

Lymphedema can be a very debilitating process; it remains a terrible problem worldwide, for all types of reasons. There is still much to be learned about why some people develop lymphedema and others do not. It appears that lymphedema is directly related to several factors in our breast cancer patients. It is directly related to having the lymph nodes removed from under the arm and seems to develop from the scarring that occurs under the arm following mastectomy and / or axillary dissection.

Undergoing radiation of the arm or axilla increases this risk. However, there are many people who undergo removal of the lymph nodes and radiation that do not develop lymphedema. There are also people who have mastectomy, have lymph nodes removed followed by radiation, and don’t develop lymphedema until many years after their surgery. That is the main reason that patients are warned to pay particular attention to their arm if they have had removal of any lymph nodes.

It is also possible that someone could get lymphedema even after simply having a sentinel node removed. A sentinel node procedure (lymphadenectomy) is a way to examine the lymph node without having to remove more than one or two. The whole idea of examining only the sentinel node is to lower the risk for lymphedema, but even with the sentinel node procedure, there is still a chance of developing lymphedema. Our practice became interested in options to help breast cancer patients with lymphedema as we see many who are suffering from the symptoms of this process while undergoing breast reconstruction.

Our practice specializes in microsurgical free flap breast reconstruction utilizing skin, underlying tissue, and microscopic blood vessels that transport life-giving blood to the reconstructed breast. This procedure is commonly referred to as the DIEP if using the abdomen or a GAP if using the buttock tissue. The muscles of the abdominal wall are left intact as it is the removal of the muscles of the abdominal wall that can lead to problems in the donor area, like hernias and bulging, as well as a more involved extended recovery. The lower tummy wall is the most common area that we transfer and it’s also an area where lymph nodes are present. Therefore, over the first decade this surgery was being done, we would encounter lymph nodes in the area of the blood vessels, as well as fatty tissue.

It became obvious that we could transfer lymph nodes on the blood vessels as we refine our technique for microsurgery. Due to the lack of effective treatment for lymphedema, for years surgeons doing perforator flaps have taken on this challenge and are trying to come up with ideas and techniques to treat it. We began doing an extensive amount of research, spanning the globe, looking for information on procedures that may help these patients. In 2005, we formed a group known as the Group for the Advancement of Breast Reconstruction, known as GABRs, and we included members throughout the world who had had a unique experience with our type of breast reconstruction.

We encountered one individual who had 15-years of experience with what is now known as “vascularized lymph node transfer” for the treatment of lymphedema. Initially, Dr. Robert Allen had attempted lymph node transfer during breast reconstruction and the biggest concern was how to transfer lymph nodes from one area of the body to treat lymphedema but not to create lymphedema in the donor area. In 2006, the GABRs met in Beijing, China and invited Corrine Becker, a surgeon from France who had a long history of experience with vascularized lymph node transfer.

She presented her work and through communication and travel to Paris to work with her, members of the GABRs group began to gain experience and learn more of her technique. The biggest hurdle that we were able to overcome was learning how to select the lymph nodes that could be removed as the donor lymph nodes and use those for breast reconstruction without causing lymphedema of the leg. We spent an extensive amount of time discussing her techniques and reviewing her results, as well as her publications.

We then made arrangements for her to travel to South Carolina and actually performed surgery on our own patients with her as an assistant surgeon. Since that time we have been very encouraged by the results with vascularized lymph node transfer as an effective treatment for reduction of the symptoms of lymphedema. We feel very excited but yet are very cautious about all results. It is important that patients realize that this procedure is still evolving and that there are risks involved, but to date we have had very good results and no serious complications.

Improvement of symptoms with vascularized lymph node transfer can occur immediately; however, they also may take up to 2 years to be appreciated. In most of our patients, the indicators of success are different. For the majority, the goal was to improve the edema, lessen the need to wear compression garments on a regular basis, and to eliminate the risk for frequent infections, which are the typical problems that those affected by lymphedema experience.

In order to lower the risk for complications and to closely study our results in conjunction with other colleagues who perform this procedure, we prefer to perform vascularized lymph node transfer as an isolated procedure. It can be done at the time of breast reconstruction; however, there is a chance that some people with mild lymphedema who undergo breast reconstruction may have improvement without lymph node transfer. Therefore, in order to closely study our results, we perform the breast reconstruction first followed by vascularized lymph node transfer as the second step. When the results are complete, we can determine whether it was the reconstruction or the transferred lymph nodes that gave the end result. It is important again to reemphasize that the main risk for of the surgery is that the transfer may not work. It is possible that if the transfer did not work resulting in more scar, the lymphedema could worsen.

Thankfully, to date, we have not experienced this complication. Other complications are damage to the blood vessels under the arm or the nerves under the arm. Therefore, our preference is to have an oncologic surgeon, who performs axillary dissection, release the scar under arm.  At the same surgical setting, after the scar is released, we perform the transfer by removing very specialized lymph nodes from the outer and lower abdominal wall or outer upper leg. We preserve the lymph nodes of the inside leg. These are the ones that drain the lower extremity and therefore, we feel that the risk for lymphedema of the donor area is reduced.

At this point, we have received some very exciting results along with some mixed results and continue to follow our patients very closely. We have had no patients with any serious complications and no patients at this point with lymphedema of the donor site. We are hopeful that the future holds vascularized lymph node transfer as an effective option for people with lymphedema following breast cancer surgery.

We plan to continue to devote and focus our energies on a surgical solution while simultaneously not exposing people to excess risk of additional problems. Once again, we do have to admit that the surgery, although giving some promising results, is  still evolving at this point and we choose to proceed with caution in the best interest of our patients.

—James Craigie, M.D.

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Why Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction?

March 22, 2011 by

The access to GAP and DIEP procedures is not widespread, only a handful of surgeons have invested the time to learn this intensely specialized microsurgical procedure, and have access to another equally qualified micro-surgeon to provide the required surgical assistance.

To give you an idea of how few of these surgical teams exist, in late 2007 we were one of only three practices in the country that offered simultaneous bilateral GAP reconstruction.  As a result, we see patients from all over the United States seeking this highly successful option, with 30 to 40% of our patients referred to us as a result of repeatedly failed implant reconstructions.

In a critical analysis of 142 GAP procedures published by six physicians at LSU, the GAP procedure is reported as “not easy to learn; however, it does provide a reliable flap and an excellent aesthetic reconstruction.”  The report further states “overall flap survival was 98%”and perhaps most importantly “patient satisfaction with the reconstructed breast and donor site has been excellent.”

A little bit about us:

Co-directors Dr. Richard M. Kline and Dr. James E. Craigie are certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery. Both surgeons have trained under Dr. Robert J. Allen, a pioneer in breast reconstruction using the DIEP, SIEA, and GAP flaps. Dr. Craigie completed a microsurgical breast reconstruction fellowship dedicated to muscle sparing techniques (directed by Robert J. Allen, M.D.). Dr. Kline completed his residency at LSU while Dr. Allen was developing these techniques.

Our entire surgical team is dedicated to remaining at the forefront of breast reconstruction surgery to provide excellent care and results for each individual patient. Because of this commitment, the practice consistently earns referrals from our patients, as well as from other surgeons throughout the United States.

Knowing the right questions to ask:

When searching for a surgeon to perform your microsurgical breast reconstruction, it’s important to ask him or her the right questions. Below are a few questions to ask:

  • Are you a microsurgeon? Where and by whom were you trained in this specialty?
  • How many microsurgeries have you performed? And how often do you perform them?
  • What is your success rate?
  • Can you arrange for me to speak with some of your patients who have had the procedure I am seeking? (Candidates should speak with people of similar ages and lifestyles).
  • How long do you anticipate I will be under anesthesia for the procedure?
  • How many board certified physicians will be assisting with the first stage of the procedure? Will there be physicians in training (residents) involved with my surgery
  • Will I have to sign a consent that if a physician is unable to complete the procedure, I will have to consent to a TRAM/Free TRAM?
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