title: OUR PRELIMINARY EXPERIENCE WITH A NEW METHOD OF DIEAp FLAP DISSECTION.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The abdominal tissue is an ideal source for autologous breast reconstruction. We propose a new approach for intramuscular dissection of a DIEP flap in this paper.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 84 women underwent breast reconstruction after mastectomy. From this group, 49 patients were treated with traditional DIEP flap of which 21 had unilateral procedure and 28 had bilateral procedure. This new type of dissection was performed in 35 women, with unilateral approach in 14 cases and bilateral approach in 21 cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The statistical differences are not significant in the two groups with regards to complications (p > 0.1). Mean operative time in this new approach was 3 hours and 10 minutes per flap. Mean operative time in the traditional dissection of DIEP was 3 hours and 41 minutes per flap. The operative time of the new approach is significantly shorter than the dissection of the traditional DIEP flap (p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The approach to DIEP flap dissection proposed by the authors is a new concept in autologous breast reconstruction. In this type of dissection no fascia is resected and it is more reliable than a traditional DIEP flap for the ease of dissection and for the presence of a small protective cuff of muscle around the vessel with a lower risk of perforator injury.It is a reproducible option of dissection, useful also in less experienced hands and it is a time reducing technique compared with the traditional DIEP flap.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hýža
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veselý
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Streit
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kubek
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: G A G
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Lombardo
mesh_terms: D004210:Dissection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016462:Mammaplasty; D061646:Operative Time; D061525:Perforator Flap; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: DIEP dissection; DIEP flap; perforator dissection; perforator flap autologous breast reconstruction.