TRAM/ Free TRAM Breast Reconstruction
Atlanta Plastic Surgery Co-founder Dr. Carl Hartrampf is world-renowned in the field of reconstructive plastic surgery for his invention and implementation of the TRAM flap breast reconstruction procedure. TRAM, or transverse rectus abdominus myocutaneous, surgery utilizes a portion of a woman’s abdominal fat, muscle, and skin to reconstruct a breast that has been removed or affected by a cancer-eliminating mastectomy. Because the TRAM method-constructed breast maintains its own blood supply and utilizes a patient’s own tissue, it tends to produce a more symmetrical, natural looking breast than those reconstructed using a saline or silicone breast implant placed beneath the skin.
There are two versions of TRAM breast reconstruction surgery including pedicled (regular TRAM) or free TRAM . The abdominal tissue and muscle used in a pedicled TRAM flap maintains its connection to blood vessels within the abdomen as it’s shifted subcutaneously to its new position as a breast. The free TRAM method separates the donor tissue completely from its site before being repositioned as a new breast.
The deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap method of breast reconstruction surgery utilizes the same process as the TRAM, but only harvests a patient’s skin and fat (no muscle.) Proponents of this method say it creates a more naturally textured breast; however, some reconstructive surgeons favor the TRAM procedures for the increased blood supply they render to the new breast compared to the DIEP method.
As regular lecturers at the SESPRS-sponsored Breast Surgery Symposium, Atlanta Plastic Surgery’s team of reconstructive surgeons is dedicated to advancing the field of cosmetic breast reconstruction. Click on our individual plastic surgeon’s links below to learn more about facial, breast, and body reconstruction procedures.
| Philip H. Beegle Jr., M.D. |
| L Franklyn Elliott, M.D. |
| James D. Namnoum, M.D. |
| Joseph Kerwin Williams, M.D. |
| Allyson B. Maske, M.D. |