Turning failure into form: autologous solution to salvage a severely compromised breast following partial mastectomy and radiation - a case report

Abstract

The objective of this report was to present the successful management of a severely compromised breast following multiple implant failures, wound-healing complications, and infections. A 40-year-old female patient presented to our center with a severely compromised breast after treatment for breast cancer. Clinical examination revealed marked volume deficiency of the left breast, resulting in pronounced breast asymmetry compared with the right breast, following multiple infections and prior interventions. Our therapeutic approach was to reconstruct the breast using an muscle-sparing type II transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (MS-2 TRAM) flap followed by refinement with lipofilling. The reconstructed breast showed a stable and aesthetically satisfactory outcome, objectively documented during the 25-month follow-up using VECTRA 3D imaging and patient-reported outcome measures. This case demonstrates the potential of autologous tissue for breast reconstruction and may aid preoperative decision-making in complex reconstructive scenarios.

Keywords

Autologous breast reconstruction / free tissue transfer / lipofilling / salvage surgery / case report

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