Clinical Implications of the Fascial System: A Commentary on One Surgeon's Journey.

A review of the most important concepts of the last 100 years on the topic of fascia and its fundamental importance to tissue and organ structure and function is provided as a basis for the author's commentary on the self-organizing nature of fascia. Implications for clinical applications in medicine, in both pathophysiology and the treatment of disease, follow from these anatomic insights. Organizing principles of nature put forth by D'Arcy Thompson, Buckminster Fuller, Benoit Mandelbrot, and Adrian Bejan set the stage for understanding tissue and fascial form. The author presents videos from the operating room of living anatomy illustrating the concept of a basic fascia segment, which differentiates according to need in the various locations of the body.

Absorbable Biosynthetic Scaffolds in Place of Silicone for Breast Reconstruction: A 9-Year Experience with 53 Patients.

Background: Few series report on using fat grafting as the primary form of breast reconstruction. A 9-year experience with absorbable biosynthetic scaffolds, used in place of silicone implants, for breast reconstruction is reviewed. Methods: A clinical quality improvement approach was used to evaluate real-world data on a single plastic surgeon's experience treating breast reconstruction patients over a 7-year period. Results: Fifty-three patients had 74 breasts reconstructed, (following 51 therapeutic mastectomies and 23 prophylactic). Five of the 51 breasts (9.80 %) developed a local recurrence (mean follow-up of 4.5-5.5 years). This compared favorably with the practice's previous 6 years of silicone reconstructions. The most common complications were benign fat necrosis and oil cysts. More than 100 radiologic examinations were performed without interference by the absorbable implants. By 12-18 months post implantation, very little immune response was seen on histologic examinations of the biosynthetic scaffold constructs. Mature collagen and robust vascularity characterized the "mesh zone," whereas regenerated adipose tissue was seen in between and on top of the folded sheets of the implants. The average number of fat graft sessions in immediate reconstructions was 2.3, with a mean total fat graft volume of 551 mL, to restore an average mastectomy defect volume of 307 mL. Aesthetic outcomes were much better in the immediate reconstruction of nipple-sparing mastectomy group, which saw 68% achieve an A/B grade; 19%, C grade; and 13%, D/F on subjective grading. Conclusion: This composite strategy, using biosynthetic scaffold and autologous fat grafting, yielded outcomes equivalent to flap reconstructions with the ease of implants.

Implant-based Prepectoral Breast Reconstruction: The Importance of Oncoplastic Plane, its Blood Supply and Assessment Methods.

With the recent rise in prepectoral breast reconstruction, partly due to the improvement in implants and the aesthetic results but, more so, due to the perseveration of the pectoralis major, it is of great importance to have an appreciation of the clinical anatomy with regards to the breast and its blood supply for the practice of prepectoral breast reconstruction. The preservation of the mastectomy flap vasculature together with meticulous surgical technique minimizes complications, notoriously of skin flap necrosis. We aimed to describe the anatomy of the oncoplastic plane (for the prepectoral technique), its vasculature, and relevant assessment methods.

Breast Reconstruction Using a Three-Dimensional Absorbable Mesh Scaffold and Autologous Fat Grafting: A Composite Strategy Based on Tissue-Engineering Principles.

Breast reconstruction remains an important field in plastic surgery, with most procedures using implants and/or autologous tissue. Few series report on experience with fat grafting as the primary form of breast reconstruction. The present article describes a new method of breast reconstruction using a three-dimensional absorbable mesh construct-or Lotus scaffold-and autologous fat grafting. A retrospective review was performed for all patients who underwent breast reconstruction using the Lotus scaffold and autologous fat grafting. Postoperative mammograms and magnetic resonance imaging scans were analyzed. Tissue specimens collected at subsequent procedures were harvested and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for histologic evaluation. Lastly, compression testing of the scaffold was performed using a tensiometer and digital tracking technology. Twenty-two patients underwent reconstruction of 28 breasts using the Lotus scaffold and autologous fat grafting between February of 2015 and February of 2018. Average follow-up was 19 months. All patients were satisfied with final breast shape and size. Mean patient age was 60.5 years and the average body mass index was 28 kg/m. Patients required on average two fat grafting sessions to achieve a successful result (range, zero to four). Postoperative mammography and magnetic resonance imaging showed robust adipose tissue in the breast with a slowly resorbing mesh and no oil cysts or calcifications. Histologic evaluation showed the presence of fat tissue around the scaffold and no evidence of capsule formation. Compression testing revealed the Lotus scaffold to be compliant with a high-resilience profile. The Lotus scaffold with autologous fat grafting is a viable method for breast reconstruction, giving the patient an autologous reconstruction with less morbidity compared to free tissue transfer. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:: Therapeutic, IV.

Anatomy of the Superficial Fascia System of the Breast: A Comprehensive Theory of Breast Fascial Anatomy.

BACKGROUND: It has been two centuries since Petrus Camper identified superficial fascia and over 175 years since Sir Astley Cooper wrote his book on the anatomy of the breast. In the 1990s, Ted Lockwood taught us the importance of the superficial fascia layers in body contouring procedures he pioneered. These descriptions, however, fail to explain the three-dimensional fascial system in the breast. The authors set out to discover and describe a theory of superficial fascia structures responsible for breast shape. METHODS: The nature of the superficial fascia system that surrounds the breast and its attachments to the chest were studied in 12 cadaver breast dissections and in clinical cases of both cosmetic and reconstructive breast procedures. RESULTS: The authors found a three-dimensional, closed system of fascia and fat surrounding the corpus mammae, which attaches to the skin by means of specialized vertical cutaneous ligaments, or Cooper ligaments, and which attaches to the chest wall by means of a three-dimensional zone of adherence at the breast's periphery. CONCLUSIONS: The breast is shaped by a three-dimensional, fibrofatty fascial system. Two layers of this system surround the corpus mammae and fuse together around it, and anchor it to the chest wall in a structure we have called the circummammary ligament.

Components separation technique and laparoscopic approach: a review of two evolving strategies for ventral hernia repair.

When faced with large ventral hernias, surgeons frequently must choose between higher incidence of recurrence after primary repair and higher incidence of wound complications after repair with mesh. The aim of this study is to compare early outcomes between laparoscopic repair (LR) and components separation technique (CST), two evolving strategies for the management of large ventral hernias. We reviewed 42 consecutive patients who underwent CST and 45 consecutive patients who underwent LR of ventral hernia defects of at least 12 cm2. Demographics, hernia characteristics, and short-term outcomes were compared between groups. Patients in the LR group were younger (53 +/- 2 vs 68 +/- 2 years, P < 0.0001), had greater body mass index (34 +/- 2 vs 29 +/- 1 kg/m2, P = 0.02), and had larger hernia defects (318 +/- 49 vs 101 +/- 16 cm2, P < 0.0001) than patients in the CST group. The LR resulted in shorter length of hospital stay (4.9 +/- 0.9 vs 9.6 +/- 1.8 days, P < 0.0001), lower incidence of ileus (7% vs 48%, P < 0.0001), and lower incidence of wound complications (2% vs 33%, P < 0.001) than the CST. Both techniques resulted in similar operative times, transfusion requirements, and mortality. Recurrences occurred in 7 per cent of patients at mean follow-up of 16 months in the CST group and 0 per cent at mean follow-up of 9 months after LR. The LR may have a short-term advantage over the CST in terms of incidence of ileus, wound complications, and hospital stay. Because of their unique advantage over traditional hernia repairs, both techniques may play a significant role in the future treatment of large ventral hernias. Adequate training will be essential for the safe and effective implementation of these techniques within the surgical community.