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Mastectomy with Flap Reconstruction Questions about Mastectomy with Flap Reconstruction. |
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| 12/6/2011 | I was diagnosed with DCIS in 2006 and had LAT Dorsi reconstruction with an implant. I am still experiencing a lot of pain and discomfort in my reconstructed breast and back. Can the flap be reversed? Can you recommend a Placstic Surgeon in the Atlanta GA area? | ||
| Replied | JHU's Breast Center Reply | ||
| 12/7/2011 | Thank you for turning to the Johns hopkins Breast Center. It may be possible for the latissimus dorsi flap to be reversed, but it would depend on how much of your own breast skin remains versus how much of your breast skin has come from the flap. It is difficult to tell without examining you or knowing how the operation was performed. It is possible to have pain and discomfort in the flap site for some time, we call this chronic pain. Often less invasive measures such as physical therapy or visiting a pain specialists can help. We recommend these measures first, before considering the drastic measure of surgery. In addition to the inherent risks of surgery, there is no guarantee of how the surgery will affect the pain. For some people with chronic pain, the surgery can improve it, for some it stays the same, and for others it can make it worse. This is especially true if you were treated with radiation therapy. The damage from radiation therapy is not reversible and can get worse with time. A reversal surgery would not help with this. In fact, it would be even more risky because operating on previously radiated areas has high chances for infection and wound healing problems. I would recommend try the less invasive measures first. I do not know any plastic surgeons in Atlanta. I hope this helps. | ||
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