Summary
The traditional pedicled flap sacrifices the entire rectus abdominis muscle, creating abdominal weakness that may create unnatural protrusions, bulges, and areas of laxity or weakness that can become hernias. DIEP flap breast reconstruction also presents a much smaller risk of abdominal wall weakness and hernia.
This type of abdominal wall issue is not a traditional hernia, which means that standard hernia repair approaches frequently fail to successfully address the problem, resulting in recurrent hernias.
Extended mesh repair is a specific type of abdominal wall reconstruction that reliably repairs TRAM flap hernias and abdominal bulges. This specialized procedure requires coordination between a general surgeon who specializes in hernia repair and a plastic surgeon. It is the only approach that results in lasting abdominal wall reconstruction. A limited number of practitioners perform this surgery nationally.
Visit the TRAM Flap Hernia Repair page to learn more about the extended mesh procedure.