SIEA Flap

In some women the superficial vessels in the abdominal fatty tissue provide the dominant source of blood flow to this region. In those cases the SIEA (superficial inferior epigastric artery) may be chosen as the source of blood supply for the borrowed tissue necessary to reconstruct the breast. The procedure is otherwise the same as the DIEP procedure and represents a second choice for women whose superficial vessels are more dominant than the deep inferior epigastric perforators (DIEP's).

Perforator flaps represent the state of the art in breast reconstruction. Replacing the skin and soft tissue removed at mastectomy with soft, warm, living tissue is accomplished by borrowing skin and fatty tissue from the abdomen or hip. This is accomplished without sacrificing muscles and strength as compared to less sophisticated techniques.

The Center for Restorative Breast Surgery was established to serve as a dedicated resource for women seeking the most advanced methods of breast reconstruction utilizing the body's own tissue. Frank DellaCroce, M.D., FACS, Scott Sullivan, M.D., FACS and Chris Trahan, MD specialize exclusively in state-of-the-art breast surgery techniques (DIEP, SIEA and GAP flap procedures) that allow for breast reconstruction without sacrifice of important functional muscles. They are international leaders in breast cancer surgery options, pioneering groundbreaking procedures including immediate breast reconstruction, nipple sparing mastectomy and Stacked DIEP reconstruction.  They have performed over 3000 breast reconstruction procedures on women facing breast cancer.