TRAM/ Free TRAM Breast Reconstruction
at Atlanta Plastic Surgery, P.C.

In a pedicled TRAM flap, the tissue is passed inside the body behind the upper abdominal skin to the chest where the breast is then reconstructed. In a free TRAM flap procedure, the tissue is completely detached from the abdominal wall. Subsequently, the detached tissue is reconnected to an artery in the chest to re-establish blood supply, and is then shaped into a new breast.

Although complications in breast surgery are generally rare, some women who have undergone a TRAM flap procedure do complain of breast asymmetry, which occurs most frequently when only one breast has required reconstruction. However, as with any type of surgery, there are other risks such as fatty tissue firmness, partial flap loss, or in some cases, complete flap loss. All of these issues can be usually be corrected with breast revision techniques.

Although rare, there is a possibility that the removal of muscle from the abdominal area with TRAM flap surgery may result in abdominal weakness, which could potentially result in a hernia. In most cases, however, patients are still able to maintain normal daily routines and physical activities.

The most obvious benefit is, of course, the addition of a newly reconstructed breast. More specifically, because the reconstructed breast in a TRAM flap procedure is composed of natural tissue, the patient is less subject to some of the risks associated with breast surgery, such as implant rejection, capsular contracture, or infection. Additionally, the removal of tissue from the abdominal area as an effect similar to that of an abdominoplasty, or tummy tuck procedure, creating a more slender contour for the entire midsection.

Patients heal at different rates and each has their own individual health considerations, so actual recovery times can vary significantly. However, after TRAM Flap breast reconstruction, patients can usually return to their normal daily routine within two or three weeks, and it may take between six and eight weeks for full recovery.