SIEA RECONSTRUCTION IN GREATER DEPTH
The tissue used for SIEA breast reconstruction contains skin, fat and blood vessels. It is the same tissue area that is discarded in the classical cosmetic surgery procedure called the tummy tuck. The technical name for the cosmetic procedure is abdominoplasty. In reconstructive breast surgery, instead of discarding the abdominal tummy tuck tissue, the tissue is used to reconstruct a breast.
The area outlined in blue on the abdomen represents the amount of abdominal skin that typically is removed in SIEA reconstruction. The paired rectus abdominus muscles are illustrated in dark red. They are the muscles that give the abdomen strength and are the major generators of force in the sit-up. Their outlines are seen in physically fit individuals as a "six pack".
The blood vessels are pictured that supply circulation to the abdominal tissue. These vessels are superficial to the muscles and run in the substance of the abdominal fat. In a TRAM flap, the muscle is cut and used as part of the reconstruction. This creates potential for abdominal weakness and hernias. In the SIEA flap the muscle is not removed. A major advantage of the SIEA flap is that it does not require loss of the rectus abdominus muscles.