CASE REPORT Case Report and Review of the Literature: Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap for Breast Reconstruction After Abdominal Recontouring

OBJECTIVE The report herein presents a case of a 49-year-old woman with left breast cancer who presented seeking immediate autologous reconstruction. Surgical history included an abdominal hysterectomy and an abdominal contouring procedure. This is a first description of a deep inferior epigastric perforator flap after abdominal wall manipulation of this magnitude. METHODS Computed tomographic angiography identified patent medial row perforators. Doppler confirmed the location of the perforators. The flap was designed with the inferior incision at the previous lower abdominal scar. Laser-assisted indocyanine green imaging confirmed adequate flap perfusion on the basis of a single left deep inferior epigastric perforator. RESULTS The flap was harvested on one perforator and anastomosed to the internal mammary system. The postoperative course was complicated by venous anastomosis kinking, requiring revision, but otherwise unremarkable. CONCLUSION Computed tomographic angiography confirmed presence of perforators, communication with the deep inferior epigastric system, and location acceptable for flap design. Laser-assisted indocyanine green angiography facilitated perforator selection and provided intraoperative assessment of flap perfusion. Utilization of these modalities allowed safe completion of an operation considered contraindicated by conventional algorithms and highlights their role in complex perforator flap reconstruction.