Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States. After undergoing lumpectomy or mastectomy surgery to treat cancer, many patients choose to pursue surgical breast reconstruction. Gregory Dumanian, M.D., offers surgical breast reconstruction in Chicago. Here, Dr. Dumanian describes how breast reconstruction technique has improved over time.
History of Breast Reconstruction
Humans have known about breast cancer for thousands of years. However, surgery didn’t become an available treatment option until William Stewart Halsted, M.D., performed the first radical mastectomy in 1882. Thirteen years later, Vincenz Czerny performed one of the first breast augmentation surgeries.
Early Techniques
During the first part of the 20th century, surgeons across the globe began to experiment with different surgical techniques. In 1906, an Italian surgeon used a flap of skin and muscle from the back and moved it onto the chest to achieve the first breast reconstruction. Following a successful procedure in 1942, a number of surgeons experimented with a tubed abdominal flap method. Other surgeons experimented with a skin flap taken from the upper abdomen accompanied by a prosthesis.
Modern Breast Reconstruction
During the second part of the 20th century, surgeons began to refine techniques, many of which have been adopted and refined to reflect modern breast reconstruction.
Implant reconstruction gained popularity in the 1960s and 1970s. This involved inserting a silicone breast implant. In the 1980s, breast reconstruction using tissue expanders gained popularity. This popularity allowed surgeons to first stretch the chest skin to allow placement of a larger breast implant to better match the contralateral side.
Dr. Dumanian offers a modern version of breast reconstruction with tissue expanders. Using the latest surgical techniques, he places a deflated balloon beneath the skin and the chest muscle. Over a period of months, the balloon is inflated to create space within the tissue. Once the desired space has been created, Dr. Dumanian replaces the expander with a breast implant. The expander is held in place either with the pectoralis muscle, or sometimes in the right patient with a bioprosthetic mesh.
During the 1970s, surgeons also started to refine autogenous reconstruction of the breast. This technique utilizes tissue from another part of the body to form the new breast.
Dr. Dumanian offers patients a number of options when it comes to autogenous reconstruction of the breast without implants. Over the course of his career, he has honed his surgical skills to ensure each patient has the best surgical outcome. Thanks to his experience and training, he is able to offer patients breast reconstruction with DIEP flaps and latissimus flaps. By providing several surgical options, Dr. Dumanian is able to cater every breast reconstruction procedure to each patient’s unique anatomy and surgical goals.
Discuss Breast Reconstruction with Dr. Dumanian
Breast reconstruction gives patients the opportunity to look and feel like themselves again. Dr. Dumanian offers patients a number of breast reconstruction options. To learn more about your breast reconstruction options, or to schedule a personal consultation, please contact Dr. Dumanian at Northwestern Plastic Surgery at (312) 695-6022.