title: Autologous breast reconstruction with the inchworm flap in an obese woman.
abstract: Breast cancer may particularly occur in the obese female population. Although mastectomy can be a life-saving procedure, it frequently leaves soft tissue defects and deformities that can be psychologically and esthetically upsetting to the patient. A number of reconstructive methods have been utilized including prosthetic implants, TRAM flaps, and latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps. We present an obese woman who underwent a novel method of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction using a staged lateral chest wall fasciocutaneous advancement flap which we term the 'inchworm flap'. The patient had good outcome with no complications. In a select group of obese patients who have redundant lateral chest wall soft tissue following mastectomy, this technique can be a successful means of recreating the breast mound using autologous tissue.
authors.affiliation: York Hospital, York, PA 17403, USA.
authors.forename: Parviz
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Goshtasby
authors.forename: Parsa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mohebi
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Born
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000379:methods*; D008408:Mastectomy; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013524:Surgical Flaps