Side Chest Wall Flaps
TDAP & ICAP
A delicate, natural approach perfect for partial breast reconstruction.
Seamlessly Restoring Your Natural Contours
The TDAP (Thoracodorsal Artery Perforator) and ICAP (Intercostal Artery Perforator) flaps are highly specialized techniques that gently utilize available skin and soft tissue from the side of the chest wall, directly underneath the arm. These localized flaps are particularly wonderful options for partial breast reconstruction, often used to beautifully restore volume and shape after a lumpectomy. By thoughtfully borrowing the soft tissue resting right next to the breast, we can seamlessly fill in any hollows or spaces, ensuring your contours remain beautifully smooth and authentic.
Procedure
During this delicate, muscle-sparing procedure, our surgeons carefully shift a small, customized portion of soft tissue from the side of your chest into the area of the breast where extra volume is needed. Because this tissue is located so close to the breast, it can often simply be gently rotated into place while remaining connected to its original, healthy blood supply. Crucially, the underlying muscles of your back and side are completely preserved and protected, allowing the newly placed tissue to thrive while fully maintaining your natural strength and mobility.
Benefits
Choosing a TDAP or ICAP flap provides a beautifully natural, implant-free way to restore your breast's fullness and symmetry after a partial mastectomy. Because the procedure uses your own living tissue from an area immediately adjacent to the breast, the skin tone and softness blend flawlessly for an incredibly natural-looking result. Additionally, by expertly preserving your muscles and utilizing nearby tissue, this localized approach supports a smoother, more comfortable recovery, leaving you with a discreetly placed scar under the arm and a renewed sense of confidence in your body.
Enhanced safety & efficiency
The Dual-Microsurgeon Model
We are proud to be the first and only plastic surgery practice in Arkansas designed around a collaborative, dual-microsurgeon team approach.
By working in tandem, we are able to significantly reduce operating and anesthesia times, enhance patient safety, and double the precision applied to every detail of your surgery. Typically found only in large, academic medical institutions, this model allows two fellowship-trained microsurgeons to operate together during complex procedures.
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Procedure Illustrations & Video
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Procedure Illustration
Procedure Video
