Local Flaps for Tuberous and Asymmetric Breasts

Published on 22/05/2015 by admin

Filed under Plastic Reconstructive Surgery

Last modified 22/04/2025

Print this page

rate 1 star rate 2 star rate 3 star rate 4 star rate 5 star
Your rating: none, Average: 3 (1 votes)

This article have been viewed 3461 times

CHAPTER 38 Local Flaps for Tuberous and Asymmetric Breasts

Summary

Tuberous breast, tubular breast, snoopy breast, nipple breast, and constricted inferior pole, are all different names describing similar congenital deformities that should be considered as different aspects of the same substantial congenital developmental anomaly; although this is still a debated question.

In this chapter I will consider only the ‘heavily hypoplastic tuberous breast.’

This deformity has posed, and continues to pose, many difficulties in trying to surgically correct this malformation. Its solution is considered a real challenge even for the very experienced surgeon.

Such a deformity has a significant psychological impact on young patients, due to its odd and unpleasant appearance. Patients are often quite young when they seek surgical treatment and they have great expectations about the outcome. This therefore makes achieving a good solution very challenging for the surgeon.

Many surgical techniques have been described to best treat these malformations120 but none of them, in my opinion, seem to be perfectly applicable to each case and to each different morphological anomaly.

In trying to deal with this difficult surgical dilemma, I would like to introduce a different surgical approach to the problem.

I have developed a new ‘basic idea’ which can be tailored to fit each clinical case.

In order to deal with these variable malformations, it is necessary to apply a flexible approach with a technique that can be modified to fit each particular case.

The preoperative evaluation should include a thorough examination of the patient in standing position in order to have a precise visualization of the deformity. The chest and breast should be measured. The breast shape should be carefully evaluated by observation, palpation of the breast, and pinching of the skin.

This careful examination is necessary to obtain a good ‘manual perception’ of the existing gland and to understand which portion of it must be mobilized and rotated as a flap, in order to redistribute the breast tissue over the breast implant to ensure the best possible result.

The principle is to create a glandular flap, properly shaped and then mobilize it from the relative ‘surplus’ area to the more insufficient part of the breast.

In other words, this means to reshape the breast mound without discarding gland tissue, changing the deformed breast into a quite ‘normal flat hypoplastic breast.’

The flaps need to be long enough to reach the pectoralis muscles once the fibrotic constriction of the breast base is released. This constriction often needs to be released by radial and transverse incisions from the deep surface as described by Aston and Rees,14 and Maxwell.9

Patient Selection and Indications

Flap Type I (Figs 38.338.16) and flap Type II (Figs 38.28–38.35) are indicated in cases of minor or major evidence of herniation of the gland into the areolar skin respectively.
image image image image image image image image image image image image

Fig. 38.3 Case 3. A Preoperative view showing hypoplastic tubular breasts with mild asymmetry: left breast is smaller and slightly more ptotic than the right one. This case presents a particular and unusual morphology because the breasts have a wide base with the presence of a double bubble profile and a pseudoherniation of part of the gland into the areola surrounded by a constricted fibrotic ring overlapping a larger flat gland. In order to correct this deformity a flap Type II has been used. B Preoperative oblique view. C Preoperative view showing the periareolar area to be de-epithelialized and the triangular mark on the caudal part of the areola corresponding to the skin excision and the glandular flap that will be prepared. D Preoperative drawing showing the triangular glandular flap. E, F After periareolar de-epithelialization, a triangle of the caudal portion of the areolar skin is excised; the glandular tissue highlighted will be used to create the flap. G The glandular flap tissue is created and elevated. The pedicle is based on the subdermal plexus. H Schematic drawing with triangular flap elevated. I After undermining the central and inferior half of the breast, the rotation of the flap is performed to fill the inferior pole, with the apex of the flap reaching almost the new IMF. The patient is quite thin, therefore a retropectoral pocket is chosen through an inframammary access and an anatomical prosthesis of 250 g is implanted. J Schematic diagram of the procedure in I. K Final front view, a few months after surgery. L Final three-quarter right view, a few months after surgery.

From Muti E; The hypoplastic tuberous breast. In: Spears SL, ed, Surgery of the breast: principles and art Vol 2, 2nd edition: 1444-1457. Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2006.

image image image image image image image image image image image image

Fig. 38.5 Case 5. A This picture shows a clearly asymmetric breast with the right breast smaller then left one. The right breast is heavily hypoplastic with a tuberous appearance, a concave inferior pole and a typical cranial IMF. The left IMF is cranial as well. B Preoperative planning with red markings showing the site of inframammary incision chosen as access for the implant, the spotted green markings showing the extension of the pre-pectoral pocket. On the left breast, the yellow and red area defines the glandular resection that should be performed from the base of the gland in order to obtain a volume and shape similar to the right breast. At the left inferior pole, a small glandular flap is harvested, as described in Case 3, to fill the inferior pole. C This three-quarter left side view shows the deformity of the right breast with a cranial IMF and constricted-concave inferior pole. The white line points out the deformity, the concave aspect of the inferior pole as well as the ‘added slight deformity’ immediately caudal to the areola due to a protrusion of a small amount of breast tissue. This minor defect is often missed in the surgical correction and it becomes more evident after the implant of the prosthesis. To correct the constricted inferior pole, sufficient use of several releasing incisions at the inferior pole is necessary. Only then is an appropriate prosthesis implanted. To correct this small added deformity a flap Type III was used. D A schematic side view of the deformity.E This right view shows the residual deformity of the inferior pole after the insertion of the implant through an inframammary access, after performing several releasing vertical and transverse incisions of the breast at the inferior pole that still maintain certain flatness. A small protrusion of breast tissue can be seen caudally behind the areola. F Schematic drawing of the right breast. The red markings show the incision through the gland after subcutaneous undermining behind the caudal portion of the areola. G, H A deeply pedicled glandular flap is created with the protruding tissue and then elevated. I, J The glandular flap is caudally and superficially rotated after subcutaneous undermining of the central part of the inferior pole. K, L Final result showing good symmetry of the breasts after two equal sized implants inserted in the prepectoral pocket through the IMF access, along with correction of the deformity through a deep pedicle and a superficially and caudally rotated glandular flap. Often even a small flap can completely resolve this deformity, clearly changing the profile aspect of the inferior pole.

Basically I distinguish three different types of flaps that can fit different types of deformities:

Operative Technique

Markings

These malformations, with so many variables and different morphologies, need specific and individualized preoperative assessment and markings. The skin markings are done with the patient in a standing position.

The fundamental points on the breast are marked as follows:

After the preoperative skin markings are drawn, two other important points must be considered:

Prosthesis selection and placement plane

The selection of prosthesis dimensions and shape takes into account the patient’s wishes, but more fundamentally the patient’s thoracic measurements.

The shape can be ‘anatomical’ with moderate to high projection, or more often round with moderate to high projection.

The round prosthesis, often softer, is easier to handle with far fewer complications, especially in the postoperative period.

The plane chosen for the implant depends on individual morphological characteristics of the chest wall envelope. It can be prepectoral in patients with good envelope thickness but retropectoral in very thin patients.

I actually prefer, as far as possible, the prepectoral plane because it is an easier and faster procedure and it helps with the redistribution of the glandular tissue.

In those cases with a wide intermammary space and laterally located areolas, the best choice should be an ‘anatomical’ shaped prosthesis with a wider transverse diameter.

The selection of the most appropriate prosthesis is always a challenge, therefore I recommend the use of intraoperative sizers to achieve the best outcome. This must be performed with the patient in a sitting position.

The implant can be introduced through the periareolar incision used to prepare the glandular flaps or through an additional inframammary incision, but, to my experience, this latter selection is often very useful in those asymmetric cases in order to better define the IMF bilaterally.

Surgical steps

The most common steps of the operative technique can be summarized as follows:

Hypoplastic tuberous breast deformity (Cases 1–3)

The high morphological complexity of this malformation and its multiple details must be individually considered in approaching surgical repair. This makes it difficult, almost impossible, to describe one complete step-by-step operative sequence for its correction. I have illustrated three different surgical cases presenting different morphological characteristics and the relative intraoperative sequences and drawings (Case 1, Fig. 38.1; Case 2, Fig. 38.2; Case 3, Fig. 38.3).

image image image image image image image image image image image image image image

Fig. 38.1 Case 1. A Bilateral symmetric hypoplastic tuberous breast deformity in a very young patient. The small breast is almost completely covered by the expanded areolar skin. Correction of this deformity presents a high degree of difficulty because it is quite difficult to draw the pre-operative markings and it requires a larger skin resection than ideal, resulting in more skin tension and possible bad scarring. This picture highlights the extreme lateralization of the two small glands on chest wall and a wide intermammary space. B This projection shows clearly the cranialized IMF located at the inferior border of the areola. The preoperative skin mark shows the limits of the de-epithelialization area and the reduction of the areolar dimension. The glandular flap tissue is drawn at the lower half of the areola, outlined in red, within the limit of the dotted black line. The flap will be developed and mobilized, rotated deeply downward with the apex versus the new IMF. The flap’s vascular pedicle is located in the subdermal plexus coming up from the existing IMF. To repair this deformity we used flap Type I. C, D De-epithelialization is performed following the preoperative markings. E, F The new reduced areola is lifted in its new position with some temporary skin sutures. The dermis is incised and freed from the lateral and medial skin border up to the areolar horizontal midline to facilitate the mobilization of the areola, this is important to avoid traction and plication of the dermis that could deform the areola and could strangulate the vascular net of the superior pedicle. The dermis from the inferior pole is then undermined up to the areola inferior border. This maneuver is a common technique I use when performing a mastopexy or breast reduction.G, H The two skin points (a and b in C) are joined together with two hooks, and closed at the 6 o’clock position in the areola. The protruding glandular flap shows the portion of flap that will be developed incising it with full thickness down to the pectoral plane (red line in H). I, J The glandular flap is developed and pulled outward. K, L The deep prepectoral plane has been undermined and the glandular flap is rotated caudally inside. M, N The apex of the glandular flap is positioned downward to the new IMF to repair the deformity. It is then fixed in its new position with some internal or through-and-through skin sutures. At this point the chosen prosthesis is implanted. In this specific case a textured anatomical prosthesis of 210 g was inserted through the existing periareolar access in the prepectoral plane. O Skin closure, in these cases, is distributed partly periareolarly and partly vertically in the inferior pole in order to avoid or reduce the flattening of the areola and to minimize the periareolar scar. P Schematic lateral view showing the glandular flap position and its relation to the prosthesis. Q, S Preoperative aspect. R Postoperative result after 1 month. T Postoperative result after 4 years.

image image image image image image

References

1 Mandrekas AD, Zambacos GJ, Anastasopoulos A, Hapsas D, Lambrinaki N, Ioannidou-Mouzaka L. Aesthetic reconstruction of the tuberous breast deformity. Plast Reconstruct Surg. 2003;112(4):1099-1108.

2 Bass U. Herniated areola complex. Ann Plast Surg. 1978;1:203.

3 Bruck HG. Hypoplasia of the lower medial quadrant of the breast. Aesth Plast Surg. 1992;16:228-238.

4 Choupina M, et al. Tuberous breast: a surgical challenge. Aesth Plast Surg. 2002;26:50-53.

5 Dinner M, Dowden R. The tubular-tuberous breast syndrome. Ann Plast Surg. 1987;19:414-420.

6 Elliot MP. A muscle-cutaneous transposition flap: mammaplasty for correction of the tuberous breast. Ann Plast Surg. 1988;20:153-157.

7 Gasperoni C, Salgarello M, Gargani G. Tubular breast deformity: a new surgical approach. Eur J Plast Surg. 1987;9:141.

8 Longacre JJ. Correction of the hypoplastic breast with special reference to reconstruction of the ‘nipple type breast’ with local dermo-fat pedicle flaps. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1954;14:431.

9 Maxwell P. Breast asymmetry. Aesth Surg. 2001;21:552-561.

10 Mottura AA. Circumvertical reduction mastoplasty; new considerations. Aesth Plast Surg. 2003;27:85-93.

11 Muti E. Personal approach to surgical correction of the extremely hypoplastic tuberous breast. Aesth Plast Surg. 1996;20:385-390.

12 Persichetti P, Cagli B, Tenna S, Simone P, Marangi GF, Li Vecchi G. Decision making in the treatment of tuberous and tubular breast: volume adjustment as a crucial stage in the surgical strategy. Aesth Plast Surg. 2005;29:1-7.

13 Pucket CL, Concannon J. Augmenting the narrow-based breast: the unfurling technique to prevent the double bubble deformity. Aesth Plast Surg. 1990;14:15-19.

14 Rees T, Aston S. The tuberous breast. Clin Plast Surg. 1976;3:339.

15 Ribeiro L, Canwi W, Buss A, Accorsi A. Tuberous breast: a new approach. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1998;101:42.

16 Teimourian B, Menhdi N. Surgical correction of the tuberous breast. Ann Plast Surg. 1983;10:190-193.

17 Toranto R. Two-stage correction of tuberous breast. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1981;67:642-645.

18 Vecchione TR. A method for recontouring the Domes nipple. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1976;57:30-32.

19 Versaci AD, Rozzelle AA. Treatment of tuberous breast utilizing tissue expansion. Aesth Plast Surg. 1991;15:307-312.

20 Williams G, Hoffman S. Mammoplasty for tubular breast. Aesth Plast Surg. 1981;5:51-56.

Figure Acknowledgement

Figures 38.1A, C, M, Q, T; 38.2A, D, E; 38.3A, B, K, L; 38.4A, D, F; 38.5A, B, C, E, G, I, K; 38.6C; and 38.7A have all previously appeared in Muti E. The Tuberous Breast. SEE Editrice Firenze, 2010 and are reproduced here with kind permission.