In the case of immediate breast reconstruction, the surgeon performs both the removal of the breast and its replacement with an implant placed behind the pectoral muscle—that is, behind the muscle of the chest wall—during the same surgical procedure.
These may also include portions of the latissimus dorsi muscle (back muscle) or the rectus abdominis muscle (abdominal wall muscle), which will be used alone or in combination with a prosthesis.
When radiation therapy is needed after a mastectomy or when chemotherapy is required, reconstruction will be performed at a later date, after treatment is complete, so as not to delay those treatments.
It uses the same techniques as immediate reconstruction (placement of a prosthesis and/or use of muscle flaps).
The choice of reconstruction technique must take into account various criteria, such as the amount and health of the tissue in the area to be reconstructed, the size and shape of the other breast, and the patient’s preferences and expectations.