This week, Dr. Richard Kline of The Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction answers your questions.

Q: Can upper stomach fat (fat around the rib cage) be used for breast reconstruction if liposuction was performed on the stomach area below the belly button? What if my liposuction was done more than ten years ago?

A: Liposuction is only a relative contraindication for DIEP flaps, as the necessary blood vessels may well still be present. An MR angiogram is often very useful in determining if adequate perforating vessels are available.

Additionally, it is often possible to use fat from anywhere on the body to reconstruct breasts with the aid of the BRAVA system. The use of the BRAVA with fat grafting is not yet FDA-approved, but it looks very promising for women who either have no good flap donor sites, or don’t want large incisions.

Hope this helps!

Dr. Richard M. Kline

Center for Natural Breast Reconstruction

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