title: Latissimus dorsi reconstruction: a good option for patients with failed breast conservation therapy.
abstract: The majority of patients with breast carcinoma are being treated with breast conservation therapy (BCT): lumpectomy and postoperative radiation. Local recurrence reported at 8% to 11% is often treated with salvage mastectomy. This has led to a growing group of patients requiring breast reconstruction after failed BCT. Reluctance to use the latissimus dorsi flap (LDF) has resulted from reports of high implant capsular contracture rates. We present a series of 12 patients who underwent LDF reconstruction after the development of recurrent breast cancer after BCT. All 12 patients had a satisfactory esthetic result. Despite previous radiation, the capsular contracture rate was 12.5% (median follow up, 50 months; range, 20-93 months). The most common complication was donor site seroma in 25% (3 of 12) of cases. The LDF yielded satisfactory esthetic results with a low capsular contracture rate. Despite prior radiation, LDF remains a good option for breast reconstruction after failure of BCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida 32224, USA.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Galen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perdikis
authors.forename: Erez G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Sternberg
authors.forename: Sarvam P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: TerKonda
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Waldorf
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000379:methods*; D008408:Mastectomy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013524:Surgical Flaps; D017211:Treatment Failure