DIEP Flap Complications

Although any surgical procedure carries some risk, complications surrounding a Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flap surgical procedure can be particularly frustrating for patients. A DIEP flap procedure is most often done to reconstruct the breast following a mastectomy or other surgery to remove cancerous tumors from the breast. Patients have already undergone one surgical procedure to address the cancer, and may be feeling anxious or upset about the DIEP flap procedure to reconstruct the missing breast. The possibility of surgical complications may increase their anxiety even further.

Here, our surgeons have provided some information regarding DIEP flap surgery complications so that patients can educate themselves about the procedure. We have found the DIEP flap complication rate to be quite low, with very few patients experiencing serious problems after surgery.

The DIEP Flap Procedure

A DIEP flap procedure is designed to reconstruct a breast that has been lost to injury or illness, such as breast cancer. It uses the patient’s excess abdominal skin, fat, tissue, and blood vessels, but spares the stomach muscles, to construct the new breast. Microsurgical techniques are employed to excise these components from the stomach and transplant them to the breast. The main advantages to the DIEP flap procedure over the use of implants are that the breasts will look and feel more natural.

Possible DIEP Flap Complications

Infection, bleeding, and serous fluid (clear fluid that may develop at the wound site) leakage are three of the most common complications following a DIEP flap procedure. Patients are given antibiotics to deal with infections. Blood and serous fluid are removed from the body with the use of surgical drains that are left in place for up to two weeks following surgery. Before leaving the hospital, patients are instructed on how to care for their surgical drains.

In some cases, blood and serous fluid may pool under the skin once the surgical drains are removed. This will require a follow-up visit to Crawford Plastic Surgery, where our surgeons will use a small needle to drain the excess blood and serous fluid.

Less common complications include the need for further surgical revision, recurrence of tumors, or complete failure of the DIEP flap. During the first few months following surgery, the breast may shift position or shape. This may require further surgical correction. In cases of malignant tumors, there is the possibility of new tumor growth in the same breast or in both. Finally, if there is not an adequate blood supply to the reconstructed DIEP flap, the actual tissue may die, necessitating further surgery and consideration of other reconstruction possibilities.

Although there is a possibility of complications after a DIEP flap procedure, the rate is low. If complications do occur, patients should schedule a follow-up appointment as soon as possible. There is a good chance that the problem can be corrected so that the patient can retain the newly reconstructed breasts. 

To learn more about DIEP flap breast reconstruction complications, contact Crawford Plastic Surgery.