Women receiving breast cancer treatment at Yale New Haven or another Connecticut hospital are not required to have every stage of their breast reconstruction performed within the same health system.
The DIEP Group provides advanced microsurgical breast reconstruction for patients throughout Connecticut, including women who have undergone mastectomy, tissue expander placement, implant reconstruction, chemotherapy, or radiation through Yale or another hospital and are now considering DIEP flap reconstruction.
The DIEP flap uses a woman’s own lower abdominal skin and fat to reconstruct one or both breasts after mastectomy while preserving the abdominal muscles. Unlike implant-based reconstruction, the reconstructed breast is made from living tissue rather than depending on a permanent breast implant.
The DIEP Group performs more than 300 DIEP flaps per year across our locations and provides microsurgical breast reconstruction at multiple hospitals in Connecticut.
Patients may come to us at the beginning of their breast cancer treatment or at virtually any later stage of their reconstructive journey.
Some patients contact us before mastectomy because they already know they want natural breast reconstruction.
Others come to us with tissue expanders after completing mastectomy elsewhere.
Some have completed chemotherapy or radiation and are now ready for definitive reconstruction.
Others have been living with breast implants for years and want to convert to reconstruction using their own tissue.
And some patients seek another reconstructive opinion because their previous reconstruction remains incomplete, has required multiple operations, has developed complications, or simply has not produced an outcome with which they are comfortable.
Regardless of where your breast cancer treatment began, you can seek another opinion about how your reconstruction moves forward.
Where Does The DIEP Group Perform DIEP Flap Reconstruction in Connecticut?
The DIEP Group performs microsurgical breast reconstruction at several hospitals throughout Connecticut, allowing patients to receive specialized DIEP flap care closer to home.
Our Connecticut hospital locations include:
- Hartford Hospital in Hartford
- St. Francis Hospital in Hartford
- Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk
- Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport
- St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury
- MidState Medical Center in Meriden
The appropriate hospital depends on the patient, surgeon, insurance network, geographic location, and reconstructive plan.
Having multiple Connecticut locations is particularly valuable for a procedure such as DIEP flap reconstruction because breast reconstruction involves more than the operation itself. Patients also require preoperative planning, hospitalization, postoperative follow-up, and sometimes subsequent revision procedures.
For many Connecticut patients, receiving this care closer to home can reduce the burden of repeatedly traveling to New York City, Boston, or another distant microsurgical center.
What If I Am Searching for Yale Breast Reconstruction or a Yale DIEP Flap Surgeon?
Many Connecticut women begin researching breast reconstruction by searching the name of the hospital or health system where they already receive care.
You may therefore be searching for:
- “Yale breast reconstruction”
- “Yale DIEP flap”
- “Yale New Haven breast reconstruction”
- “Yale New Haven DIEP flap”
- “Yale plastic surgery breast reconstruction”
- “DIEP flap surgeon near Yale”
- “DIEP flap near Yale New Haven Hospital”
- “best DIEP flap surgeon Connecticut”
- “second opinion breast reconstruction Connecticut”
Yale offers multiple forms of breast reconstruction, including implant-based and autologous reconstruction.
But receiving your breast cancer care through Yale does not mean you are required to have every stage of your breast reconstruction there.
Breast cancer treatment and breast reconstruction frequently extend across many months and involve multiple specialists.
A patient may be completely satisfied with her breast surgeon, medical oncologist, or radiation oncologist at Yale while deciding that she would like to seek another opinion regarding her breast reconstruction.
The decision does not have to be all-or-nothing.
You can continue receiving cancer treatment through your existing physicians while consulting The DIEP Group specifically about DIEP flap reconstruction.
Can I Have My Mastectomy at Yale and My DIEP Flap with The DIEP Group?
Yes.
Patients can undergo mastectomy at Yale New Haven Hospital or another Connecticut hospital and subsequently have DIEP flap reconstruction performed by The DIEP Group at one of our Connecticut hospital locations.
Your mastectomy hospital does not necessarily have to be your definitive breast reconstruction hospital.
This can be particularly helpful when cancer treatment requires reconstruction to occur in stages.
Mastectomy and Tissue Expanders at Yale, DIEP Flaps Later
One potential reconstructive pathway is:
Mastectomy → Tissue Expanders → Cancer Treatment if Needed → DIEP Flap
For example, a patient may undergo mastectomy and temporary tissue expander placement through Yale.
The tissue expanders can temporarily preserve the breast skin envelope and reconstructive space while she heals and completes any necessary chemotherapy or radiation.
When she is medically ready for definitive reconstruction, she can seek consultation with The DIEP Group.
If DIEP flap reconstruction is appropriate, the tissue expanders can be removed during the DIEP flap operation and replaced with living tissue from the patient’s lower abdomen.
This allows a patient to maintain her existing oncology relationships while choosing a different team for the microsurgical portion of her reconstruction.
What If My Breast Reconstruction at Yale Is Not Finished?
Breast reconstruction is often a multi-stage process.
Patients may undergo mastectomy and tissue expander placement with the expectation of additional surgery months later. Cancer treatment, medical issues, changes in reconstructive plans, or other circumstances can interrupt that process.
If you currently have tissue expanders or an incomplete breast reconstruction, you are not necessarily required to return to the original reconstructive surgeon to complete your treatment.
The DIEP Group can evaluate patients at virtually any stage of reconstruction.
This includes patients who currently have:
- Tissue expanders
- Permanent implants
- One reconstructed breast with additional surgery still planned
- Significant breast asymmetry
- Previous radiation changes
- Implant rippling or visibility
- Animation deformity
- Capsular contracture
- Implant malposition
- Previous infection
- Implant or tissue expander loss
- Mastectomy without reconstruction
- Multiple previous reconstructive operations
Changing reconstructive surgeons does not necessarily mean starting over.
Our surgeons review what has already been performed, assess the current breast skin and soft tissues, evaluate the abdomen as a potential donor site, and determine what options remain available.
For some patients, the next step may be completion or revision of their existing reconstruction.
For others, it may be appropriate to remove the tissue expanders or implants and transition to DIEP flap reconstruction.
Can I Get a Second Opinion After Breast Reconstruction at Yale?
Yes.
Patients are entitled to seek another reconstructive opinion at any point in their care.
A second opinion can be particularly valuable when you have undergone several operations but remain uncertain about the reconstructive plan, have developed a complication, are dissatisfied with the current reconstruction, or simply want to understand whether another option exists.
Seeking another opinion does not mean that your previous treatment was inappropriate.
Breast reconstruction is complex, and there may be more than one reasonable way to address a particular problem.
The purpose of a second opinion is to understand your remaining options.
For patients interested in natural-tissue reconstruction, important questions include:
- Am I a candidate for DIEP flap reconstruction?
- Do I have enough abdominal tissue?
- Can my existing tissue expanders be replaced with DIEP flaps?
- Can my breast implants be removed and replaced with my own tissue?
- How does previous radiation affect my reconstruction?
- Can problems from previous implant reconstruction be corrected during DIEP surgery?
- Can a subpectoral reconstruction with animation deformity be converted to natural-tissue reconstruction?
- What additional revision procedures might be needed after the DIEP flap?
- Does my insurance cover another stage of breast reconstruction?
The fact that reconstruction has already begun does not necessarily mean that the original plan must be continued.
DIEP Flap Reconstruction After Chemotherapy or Radiation at Yale
Patients who receive chemotherapy or radiation through Yale or another Connecticut cancer center can still undergo DIEP flap reconstruction with The DIEP Group.
The timing depends on the individual cancer-treatment plan.
When chemotherapy is required after mastectomy, definitive DIEP flap reconstruction can often be delayed until treatment has been completed and the patient has adequately recovered.
Radiation deserves particular consideration because it can permanently alter the skin and soft tissue of the chest.
Radiated breast tissue may become tight, firm, thin, discolored, or less elastic. Radiation can also make implant reconstruction more challenging.
For selected patients, a staged reconstructive pathway may therefore be:
Mastectomy → Tissue Expander → Radiation → Healing → DIEP Flap
After radiation has been completed and the tissues have had appropriate time to recover, the temporary expander can be removed and replaced with healthy, vascularized abdominal tissue.
Why Consider Natural-Tissue Reconstruction After Radiation?
A DIEP flap transfers living tissue with its own blood supply from the abdomen to the chest.
This can be particularly useful when reconstructing a previously radiated breast.
Instead of asking a permanent implant to remain beneath radiated skin and soft tissue, DIEP reconstruction introduces healthy vascularized tissue into the breast.
Patients who completed mastectomy, chemotherapy, tissue expansion, and radiation through Yale can therefore still seek a consultation with The DIEP Group once they are ready to consider definitive reconstruction.
Can Yale Breast Implants Be Replaced with DIEP Flaps?
Yes.
A patient who has already completed implant reconstruction through Yale or another hospital can later choose to convert to DIEP flap reconstruction.
There is no requirement that this decision be made immediately after mastectomy.
Some women have lived with their implants for many years before deciding that they would prefer reconstruction using their own tissue.
Others seek conversion because they have developed:
- Capsular contracture
- Significant rippling
- Visible implant edges
- Animation deformity
- Implant malposition
- Breast asymmetry
- Tightness or discomfort
- Implant rupture
- Problems following radiation
- Recurrent infection
- Implant exposure or previous implant loss
- Concerns regarding recalled textured implants
During implant-to-DIEP conversion, the existing implants are removed and the breast pockets are prepared for autologous reconstruction.
The patient’s abdominal skin and fat are then transferred to the chest and used to create the new breast mound.
For patients with subpectoral implants and significant animation deformity, the pectoralis major muscle can be returned toward its normal position on the chest wall when appropriate.
This allows the reconstruction to move away from dependence on permanent implants and toward living tissue from the patient’s own body.
What If I Am Unhappy with the Appearance of My Previous Breast Reconstruction?
An unsatisfactory appearance does not necessarily mean that the entire reconstruction has failed.
Breast reconstruction can leave patients with a variety of concerns, including:
- Breast asymmetry
- Significant rippling
- Superior breast hollowing
- Visible implant edges
- Abnormal implant position
- Animation deformity
- Tight or distorted radiated tissue
- Contour irregularities
- Scar problems
- Differences in breast shape or volume
- An implant reconstruction that does not feel natural to the patient
The appropriate solution depends on the cause of the problem.
Some concerns can be improved with revision of the existing reconstruction, fat grafting, implant-pocket correction, or other procedures.
For other patients—particularly those with radiation changes, recurrent implant problems, or a desire to eliminate implants—conversion to DIEP flap reconstruction may provide a more comprehensive solution.
The purpose of a consultation is not to assume that every previous reconstruction should be replaced.
It is to determine which reconstructive strategy best addresses the patient’s current anatomy, previous treatment, and goals.
Why Does DIEP Flap Experience Matter?
DIEP flap surgery is fundamentally different from routine implant reconstruction.
The operation requires careful dissection of small perforating blood vessels through the abdominal wall while preserving the rectus abdominal muscles.
The abdominal tissue is then transferred to the chest, where its artery and vein are connected to recipient blood vessels using microsurgical techniques.
The survival of the reconstructed breast tissue depends on blood flow through these microsurgical connections.
For this reason, patients comparing breast reconstruction programs should consider the experience of the microsurgical team in addition to the name of the hospital or health system.
The DIEP Group performs more than 300 DIEP flaps per year across our locations.
Our experience includes:
- Immediate DIEP flap reconstruction
- Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction
- Bilateral DIEP flaps
- Unilateral DIEP reconstruction
- Reconstruction after radiation
- Tissue expander-to-DIEP conversion
- Implant-to-DIEP conversion
- Failed implant reconstruction
- Capsular contracture
- Implant infection and implant loss
- Significant rippling and implant visibility
- Animation deformity
- Recalled textured implants
- Complex revision breast reconstruction
For Connecticut patients, this experience is available at multiple hospitals within the state.
You Can Change the Direction of Your Breast Reconstruction
One of the most important things for Connecticut breast reconstruction patients to understand is that an earlier reconstructive decision does not necessarily determine every operation that follows.
Having a tissue expander does not mean you must receive a permanent implant.
Having a permanent implant does not mean you must keep implant-based reconstruction indefinitely.
Having undergone radiation does not mean natural breast reconstruction is no longer possible.
Having started reconstruction with one plastic surgeon does not necessarily mean every future reconstructive procedure must be performed by that surgeon.
And receiving breast cancer treatment through Yale does not prevent you from seeking another opinion from a microsurgical breast reconstruction team.
Breast reconstruction can continue for months or years after mastectomy.
Patients should understand the options that are available now, based on their current anatomy and circumstances—not simply the options that were presented when their breast cancer treatment began.
Immediate Versus Delayed DIEP Flap Reconstruction in Connecticut
DIEP flap reconstruction can be performed either at the time of mastectomy or as a delayed procedure after the mastectomy has already healed.
The best timing depends on your breast cancer treatment, whether radiation is anticipated, your medical history, previous reconstruction, and your individual preferences.
Immediate DIEP Flap Reconstruction
With immediate DIEP flap reconstruction, the mastectomy and breast reconstruction are performed during the same operative setting.
After the breast surgeon completes the mastectomy, the microsurgical team reconstructs the breast using skin and fat from the lower abdomen.
For appropriate patients, immediate reconstruction can preserve much of the natural breast skin and avoids a separate period with a tissue expander or without a reconstructed breast.
Delayed DIEP Flap Reconstruction
Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction can be performed months or even years after mastectomy.
Patients seeking delayed reconstruction may currently have:
- Tissue expanders
- Permanent breast implants
- Previous radiation
- A failed or removed implant reconstruction
- Significant asymmetry or deformity
- No breast reconstruction at all
There is no requirement that DIEP flap reconstruction occur immediately after mastectomy.
This is especially important for patients who were never offered natural-tissue reconstruction when they were originally treated or whose circumstances have changed since their initial surgery.
A patient who had a mastectomy at Yale or another Connecticut hospital several years ago may still be a candidate for DIEP flap reconstruction today.
What Happens During DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction?
The DIEP flap—deep inferior epigastric perforator flap—uses skin and fat from the lower abdomen to reconstruct the breast.
The abdominal muscles are preserved.
During surgery, the blood vessels supplying the lower abdominal tissue are carefully dissected through the abdominal wall. The tissue is then transferred to the chest.
Using microsurgical techniques, the artery and vein supplying the flap are connected to blood vessels in the chest. Once blood flow is established, the transferred tissue is shaped to create the reconstructed breast.
For bilateral reconstruction, abdominal tissue can be used to reconstruct both breasts.
The abdominal incision is positioned low on the abdomen whenever anatomy permits. Removing the lower abdominal skin and fat frequently produces an improvement in abdominal contour, but DIEP flap surgery should not be considered a cosmetic tummy tuck. The abdominal procedure is designed primarily to safely obtain tissue for breast reconstruction while preserving the abdominal muscles.
What Is Recovery Like After DIEP Flap Surgery?
The DIEP Group typically uses a streamlined postoperative recovery pathway following microsurgical breast reconstruction.
Our typical hospital stay is approximately two days, although individual recovery and medical circumstances determine when a patient is ready for discharge.
During the initial postoperative period, the reconstructed breasts are monitored closely to confirm continued circulation through the microsurgical connections.
Patients begin getting out of bed and walking early after surgery. Gradual mobility is important both for recovery and for reducing complications associated with prolonged inactivity.
After discharge, activity increases progressively over the following weeks.
Patients receive individualized instructions regarding:
- Walking and physical activity
- Abdominal and breast incisions
- Surgical drains
- Showering
- Sleeping positions
- Driving
- Returning to work
- Lifting restrictions
- Exercise
- Signs or symptoms that should prompt a call to the surgical team
Recovery varies according to the patient’s health, previous operations, whether one or both breasts are reconstructed, and the complexity of the procedure.
DIEP Flap Reconstruction Is Available Throughout Connecticut
One advantage of choosing The DIEP Group is that patients are not limited to a single Connecticut hospital.
Our Connecticut network provides access to microsurgical breast reconstruction in multiple regions of the state.
Depending on the individual patient, insurance network, surgeon, and operative plan, Connecticut locations include hospitals in:
- Bridgeport
- Norwalk
- Waterbury
- Meriden
- Middletown
- Hartford
- Norwich
This allows us to serve patients throughout Fairfield County, New Haven County, Hartford County, Middlesex County, Litchfield County, New London County, and surrounding communities.
For patients in southwestern Connecticut, surgery may be performed at Bridgeport Hospital or Norwalk Hospital.
Patients in central Connecticut may have options in Meriden, Middletown, Waterbury, or Hartford.
Patients from eastern Connecticut can also contact The DIEP Group to determine which hospital location is most appropriate for their care.
The goal is to make high-volume microsurgical breast reconstruction available within Connecticut rather than requiring patients to assume that they must travel to New York City or Boston.
DIEP Flap Reconstruction Near New Haven and Yale
Patients from New Haven and the surrounding shoreline are geographically well positioned to access The DIEP Group.
Our Trumbull office provides a local location for consultation and postoperative care, while surgery is performed at one of our participating Connecticut hospitals based on the patient’s needs and insurance coverage.
We routinely serve patients from communities throughout the region, including:
- New Haven
- Hamden
- North Haven
- East Haven
- West Haven
- Orange
- Woodbridge
- Milford
- Branford
- Guilford
- Madison
- Cheshire
- Wallingford
- North Branford
- Northford
- Shelton
- Stratford
- Trumbull
- Fairfield
- Bridgeport
For a patient who has been receiving treatment through Yale New Haven, seeking another reconstructive opinion does not require traveling out of state.
The DIEP Group provides another Connecticut option for women considering immediate DIEP reconstruction, delayed reconstruction, implant-to-DIEP conversion, or revision of a previous breast reconstruction.
Can I Keep My Yale Oncologist and Have My DIEP Flap with The DIEP Group?
Yes.
Choosing a different breast reconstruction team does not inherently require changing your medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, or other cancer specialists.
This is an important distinction for patients who are satisfied with their oncology care at Yale but want another opinion about breast reconstruction.
Cancer care and breast reconstruction overlap, but they are not the same thing.
A patient may continue:
- Medical oncology at Yale
- Radiation oncology at Yale
- Breast cancer surveillance through Yale
- Hormonal or systemic therapy through her existing oncologist
while having the reconstructive portion of her care performed by The DIEP Group.
When necessary, our surgeons coordinate reconstructive timing with the patient’s other physicians.
Can I Transfer an Unfinished Breast Reconstruction from Yale to The DIEP Group?
Yes.
Patients sometimes assume that once reconstruction has begun with one surgeon or hospital system, they are obligated to complete every subsequent operation there.
That is not necessarily the case.
If you currently have tissue expanders, implants, an incomplete reconstruction, or a reconstruction requiring additional surgery, The DIEP Group can evaluate your current situation and discuss what options remain available.
The first step is not automatically to remove everything that has already been done.
Instead, our surgeons assess:
- Your mastectomy skin
- Existing scars
- Previous radiation
- Tissue expander or implant position
- Implant pocket
- Abdominal donor tissue
- Previous complications
- Prior operative history
- Breast symmetry
- Your goals for the final reconstruction
We can then determine whether it makes more sense to continue the existing reconstructive pathway, revise it, or transition to autologous reconstruction.
For appropriate patients who want to move away from implants, existing tissue expanders or implants can be removed as part of conversion to DIEP flap reconstruction.
What If My Original Plastic Surgeon Is No Longer Managing My Reconstruction?
Breast reconstruction frequently requires more than one operation and may extend over many months.
If the surgeon who performed your original reconstruction is no longer available to complete your care, or if you simply want another reconstructive opinion, you can consult another plastic surgeon.
The DIEP Group evaluates patients who have undergone previous breast reconstruction elsewhere regardless of who performed the original operation.
Whenever possible, obtaining previous operative reports can be helpful because they provide information about implant type and position, acellular dermal matrix, previous blood vessels used during microsurgery, complications, and other technical details.
However, previous surgery does not automatically prevent another surgeon from evaluating your reconstruction.
The important question is what reconstructive options are available to you now.
Can DIEP Flap Reconstruction Correct Problems from Previous Breast Reconstruction?
DIEP flap reconstruction can address many problems associated with previous implant reconstruction, but the operation must be individualized.
Some patients have a relatively straightforward implant-to-DIEP conversion.
Others have more complex problems involving radiation, scar tissue, thin mastectomy skin, implant malposition, or multiple previous operations.
During conversion to DIEP reconstruction, the operation may include treatment of the existing implant pocket, removal of scar tissue when indicated, repositioning of the pectoralis muscle in patients with subpectoral reconstruction, and replacement of deficient breast tissue with healthy abdominal tissue.
Additional revision procedures may sometimes be performed later to optimize breast shape and symmetry.
The objective is not simply to remove an implant. It is to reconstruct the breast in a way that addresses the anatomical problems created by mastectomy, radiation, previous reconstruction, or a combination of these factors.
Insurance Coverage for DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction in Connecticut
Breast reconstruction following mastectomy is generally covered by commercial health insurance when the procedure is medically necessary and the requirements of the individual plan are satisfied.
Federal protections under the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) apply to many health plans that provide mastectomy benefits.
WHCRA protections include coverage for all stages of reconstruction of the breast on which a mastectomy was performed, surgery and reconstruction of the opposite breast to achieve symmetry, prostheses, and treatment of physical complications of mastectomy.
These protections are particularly relevant for patients who mistakenly believe that insurance coverage ends after their first reconstruction.
Breast reconstruction may involve multiple stages.
Depending on the circumstances and insurance plan, medically necessary reconstruction may include delayed reconstruction, revision procedures, treatment of complications, and surgery to achieve symmetry.
Coverage does not mean that every surgeon or hospital is automatically in-network, and deductibles, coinsurance, authorization requirements, and network rules may still apply.
The DIEP Group works with commercial insurance plans and can review your specific coverage before surgery is scheduled.
The DIEP Group does not participate with Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare.
Does Insurance Cover Switching from Implants to DIEP Flaps?
Coverage is determined by the patient’s individual plan and clinical circumstances, but previous implant reconstruction does not automatically eliminate insurance coverage for subsequent breast reconstruction.
This is an important issue for women who believe that choosing implants after mastectomy was an irreversible decision.
Some patients seek DIEP reconstruction because of capsular contracture, radiation damage, implant failure, pain, significant deformity, infection, or other complications.
Others may require additional stages of reconstruction to achieve an appropriate reconstructive result.
Our insurance team can review the proposed reconstruction, obtain the necessary clinical documentation, and determine whether authorization is required.
Patients should not assume that they must personally pay for reconstructive surgery simply because another type of breast reconstruction was performed previously.
Why Choose The DIEP Group for Breast Reconstruction in Connecticut?
DIEP flap reconstruction is a major microsurgical operation, and experience with the procedure matters.
The DIEP Group performs more than 300 DIEP flaps per year across our locations.
Our practice treats both patients undergoing their first breast reconstruction and women seeking solutions after previous reconstruction.
Our experience includes:
- Immediate DIEP flap reconstruction
- Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction
- Unilateral and bilateral DIEP flaps
- Reconstruction after radiation
- Tissue expander-to-DIEP conversion
- Implant-to-DIEP conversion
- Capsular contracture
- Severe implant rippling and visibility
- Animation deformity
- Implant malposition
- Implant infection or implant loss
- Recalled textured implants
- Revision of previous breast reconstruction
- Complex secondary reconstruction
Connecticut patients also benefit from having access to multiple hospital locations within the state and a local office in Trumbull for consultation and follow-up.
For patients researching Yale breast reconstruction, this provides an important alternative: you can continue receiving excellent cancer treatment through your existing oncology team while independently deciding which reconstructive team is the best fit for the next stage of your care.
Frequently Asked Questions About Yale, DIEP Flaps, and Breast Reconstruction in Connecticut
Who performs DIEP flap breast reconstruction near Yale New Haven?
The DIEP Group provides DIEP flap breast reconstruction at multiple hospitals throughout Connecticut. Patients receiving cancer treatment at Yale New Haven can seek a consultation with our team without necessarily transferring their oncology care.
Can I switch plastic surgeons after having my mastectomy at Yale?
Yes. Having your mastectomy or beginning reconstruction at one hospital does not generally require you to use the same reconstructive surgeon for every subsequent operation.
If you currently have tissue expanders, implants, or an unfinished reconstruction, another reconstructive surgeon can evaluate your current anatomy and discuss options for completing or changing the reconstruction.
Can I transfer my breast reconstruction from Yale to The DIEP Group?
Potentially, yes.
The DIEP Group evaluates patients who began reconstruction elsewhere, including patients with tissue expanders, permanent implants, previous radiation, incomplete reconstruction, or complications from prior surgery.
Your surgeons can determine whether your existing reconstruction should be continued, revised, or converted to DIEP flap reconstruction.
Can I keep my Yale breast surgeon and oncologist but use The DIEP Group for reconstruction?
Yes. Patients can generally maintain their established breast cancer specialists while choosing another plastic surgery team for reconstruction.
Coordination among the breast surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist, and reconstructive surgeon is particularly important when treatment is ongoing.
Can I have my mastectomy at Yale and tissue expanders placed there, then have DIEP flaps somewhere else?
Yes.
A patient may undergo mastectomy and temporary tissue expander reconstruction at Yale or another hospital and later have those expanders removed during DIEP flap reconstruction with another microsurgical team.
This can be particularly useful when chemotherapy or radiation needs to occur between the mastectomy and definitive reconstruction.
What if I already had my tissue expanders exchanged for implants at Yale?
Permanent implants do not prevent you from considering DIEP flap reconstruction.
Patients can be evaluated for implant removal and conversion to autologous reconstruction months or years after their original surgery.
Can I get a second opinion if I am unhappy with my Yale breast reconstruction?
Yes.
Patients can seek a second opinion at any stage of breast reconstruction.
The goal of another consultation is to objectively assess your current reconstruction, identify the cause of any concerns, and explain the available options. Not every problem requires a DIEP flap, but DIEP reconstruction may be considered when appropriate.
Can DIEP reconstruction help with animation deformity from subpectoral implants?
Yes, in appropriate patients.
When converting a subpectoral implant reconstruction to DIEP flaps, the implant is removed and the pectoralis muscle can often be returned toward its normal position on the chest wall.
This eliminates the implant movement responsible for animation deformity while replacing the breast volume with the patient’s own tissue.
Can I have DIEP flap surgery after radiation at Yale?
Yes. Previous radiation does not prevent DIEP flap reconstruction and is one of the common reasons patients consider autologous reconstruction.
The DIEP flap brings healthy, vascularized tissue into a previously radiated chest. Timing after radiation is individualized according to tissue recovery, cancer treatment, and the patient’s overall medical condition.
Can I have a DIEP flap years after having a mastectomy at Yale?
Yes.
Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction can potentially be performed many years after mastectomy.
Patients may come to us with implants, with no reconstruction, or after multiple previous reconstructive procedures.
Do I have to travel to New York City or Boston for DIEP flap reconstruction?
No.
The DIEP Group performs DIEP flap reconstruction at multiple hospitals in Connecticut, allowing many patients to undergo microsurgical breast reconstruction without leaving the state.
How many DIEP flaps does The DIEP Group perform?
The DIEP Group performs more than 300 DIEP flaps per year across our locations.
Our experience includes primary DIEP reconstruction as well as complex secondary reconstruction after radiation, implants, tissue expanders, and previous reconstructive complications.
Does The DIEP Group accept insurance for DIEP flap reconstruction?
The DIEP Group works with commercial insurance plans for medically necessary breast reconstruction.
Coverage, network status, deductibles, and authorization requirements vary by plan. Our team can review your insurance information before proceeding with surgery.
The DIEP Group does not participate with Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare.
Schedule a DIEP Flap Consultation in Connecticut
If you are considering DIEP flap breast reconstruction in Connecticut, you can seek a consultation with The DIEP Group regardless of where your breast cancer treatment or previous reconstruction was performed.
You may be preparing for your first mastectomy, currently have tissue expanders, have already completed implant reconstruction, or be considering another option after radiation or problems with a previous reconstruction.
Patients receiving treatment through Yale New Haven Hospital can continue seeing their established breast surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and other cancer specialists while seeking a separate reconstructive opinion from The DIEP Group.
You do not need to transfer your entire cancer treatment to another health system simply because you choose a different team for your breast reconstruction.
The DIEP Group evaluates patients throughout Connecticut for:
- Immediate DIEP flap reconstruction at the time of mastectomy
- Delayed DIEP flap reconstruction
- DIEP flap reconstruction after tissue expanders
- DIEP flap reconstruction after chemotherapy
- DIEP flap reconstruction after radiation
- Conversion from breast implants to DIEP flaps
- Reconstruction after implant infection or implant loss
- Reconstruction for capsular contracture
- Correction of significant implant rippling or visibility
- Correction of animation deformity
- Complex revision breast reconstruction
- Reconstruction years after mastectomy
- Second opinions regarding an existing or incomplete breast reconstruction
If you currently have tissue expanders or implants placed through Yale or another Connecticut hospital, you do not necessarily need to continue along the reconstructive pathway that was originally planned.
Our surgeons can evaluate your current reconstruction, review your previous treatment, and determine whether DIEP flap reconstruction is an appropriate option.
The DIEP Group performs more than 300 DIEP flaps per year across our locations and provides microsurgical breast reconstruction at multiple hospitals throughout Connecticut.
Local Connecticut Consultations in Trumbull
Patients throughout Connecticut can contact The DIEP Group through our local office in Trumbull.
This is particularly convenient for patients from New Haven, Milford, Orange, Stratford, Bridgeport, Fairfield, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Westport, Norwalk, Stamford, Greenwich, and surrounding communities.
For patients who have been receiving treatment through Yale New Haven, our Trumbull office provides a local Connecticut option for obtaining another opinion about DIEP flap breast reconstruction without traveling to New York City or Boston.
The DIEP Group
5520 Park Avenue, Suite WP-2-300
Trumbull, CT 06611
Phone: 203-200-0828
Website: thediepgroup.com
DIEP flap surgery is performed at our affiliated Connecticut hospital locations rather than at the Trumbull office. The appropriate surgical location is determined based on the patient’s individual circumstances, surgeon, insurance network, and treatment plan.
Whether you are just beginning to consider breast reconstruction or have already undergone several reconstructive procedures, it may still be possible to change the direction of your reconstruction.
Where your breast cancer treatment started does not have to determine where your breast reconstruction is completed.
Continue Exploring DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction in Connecticut
Patients researching DIEP flap surgery in Connecticut may also find these articles helpful:
Switching From Tissue Expanders to DIEP Flap Reconstruction Near Yale and New Haven, CT
DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction in Connecticut
Finding a Top DIEP Flap Surgeon in Connecticut
Medically Reviewed By
The Surgeons of The DIEP Group
The DIEP Group specializes in advanced breast reconstruction, including microsurgical DIEP flap reconstruction, delayed breast reconstruction, reconstruction after radiation, conversion from implant-based to natural-tissue reconstruction, and complex revision breast reconstruction.
The DIEP Group performs more than 300 DIEP flaps per year across our locations.
References
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Breast Reconstruction.
- National Cancer Institute. Breast Reconstruction After Mastectomy.
- American Cancer Society. Breast Reconstruction Options Following Mastectomy.
- U.S. Department of Labor. Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA).
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act.
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Breast Cancer.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Risks and Complications of Breast Implants.
- American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Autologous Breast Reconstruction and Perforator Flap Reconstruction.
