Dubai: A state-of-the-art breast surgery on a double mastectomy cancer patient carried out in Dubai for the first time is claimed to be one of the best breast reconstruction options.
Using grafts from the patient’s own body instead of silicon options, this comes nearest to the natural pre-surgery look of the patient.
The surgery is called the DIEP flap breast reconstruction. The term DIEP is an acronym for the expression “Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforators” which is the name given to the tiny blood vessels that supply nutrients to the flap taken from the lower abdomen.
Victoria, 30, a young Dubai professional with no history of breast cancer in the family, was diagnosed with a vey aggressive form of breast cancer (triple negative BRCA 1 gene mutation) in early 2011.
With the aggressive form of breast cancer diagnosed only in her right breast, the patient elected for double mastectomy, hysterectomy and radiation therapy to minimise the chances of any relapse. Following this, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Allen Rezai and his team from Elite Cosmetic Surgery Group at Dubai Health Care City (DHCC) conducted a bilateral Diep flap breast reconstruction using the fat from the patient’s abdominal area.
The surgery was conducted in two stages, the first was conducted last year. Eight weeks after that Victoria resumed normal life while the second surgery was carried out in August this year.
Victoria who was operated on at the Mediclinic City Hospital is very happy with the results and talked about why she chose this option after diligent research on a variety of reconstructive surgeries.
“I decided that DIEP flap breast reconstruction was the only right option for me as I wanted to continue with my dynamic lifestyle and have a natural look and feel to my breasts. This surgery can be performed in conjunction with a mastectomy or can be delayed until completion of all treatments. I had to wait until my radio therapy was over. The further advantages of this procedure are that muscles are not cut or moved, resulting in a quicker recovery and a flat abdomen. I would definitely recommend this type of reconstruction to women who have had mastectomy due to breast cancer. In my opinion it is the state-of-the-art choice for breast cancer patients.”
Explaining the procedure, Dr Rezai told Gulf News: “Perforator flaps such as the DIEP flap are “free” flaps consisting of skin, fatty tissue and tiny blood vessels which are micro-surgically removed from the donor site and transferred to the chest for reconstruction of the new breast. This method of natural tissue restoration leaves muscle intact at the donor site. A patient with an active lifestyle who plays sports would particularly benefit from a Free Flap reconstruction as she may resume her active lifestyle without any complications once the healing process is complete.”
For a two-stage DIEP breast reconstruction, the fees range from Dh80,000 to Dh121,000 excluding the hospital fees. The good news is breast reconstruction following cancer is covered by insurance.
