DIEP flap

Meaning of DIEP flap: A DIEP flap is a breast reconstruction technique that uses lower abdominal skin and fat while preserving the underlying muscle.

Definition of DIEP flap

A DIEP flap is a technique used in breast reconstruction in which skin and fat from the lower abdomen, along with the blood vessels supplying them, are transferred to reconstruct a breast, typically after mastectomy. The name refers to the deep inferior epigastric perforator vessels, the specific blood vessels that are carefully dissected out and reconnected to vessels in the chest to keep the transferred tissue alive.

Unlike some earlier abdominal flap techniques, a DIEP flap is designed to leave the underlying abdominal muscle in place, since only the blood vessels running through the muscle, rather than the muscle itself, are taken along with the skin and fat. This is intended to reduce abdominal muscle weakness following the procedure compared with techniques that also remove muscle.

A DIEP flap requires microsurgical technique to reconnect the small blood vessels under magnification, and the reconstructed tissue takes on a blood supply from the new location while retaining the skin and fat characteristics of its abdominal origin.