Postmastectomy reconstruction of the breast

Mastectomy is the cause of severe psychological trauma. In addition to the fear of cancer and its consequences, the physical mutilation creates a psychological handicap by distorting the body image. This is due to the fact that the breast represents a sexual and maternal symbol. In recent years, the medical attitude to these problems has been changing and now considers not only the organic problem, but also the psychological sequelae. Plastic surgery offers multiple technical solutions for reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy. The technical aspects include bringing new skin to the operated area in the form of a graft or a flap. The volume of the new breast is augmented using a silicone prosthesis. In addition, the nipple is reconstructed. The preferred technique is the use of latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. Three representative cases are presented. We feel that reconstructive surgery following the ablative surgery, as in the case of head and neck tumors, will close the therapeutic circle in the specific problem of breast cancer.