Lymphedema prevention and immediate breast reconstruction with simultaneous gastroepiploic vascularized lymph node transfer and deep inferior epigastric perforator flap: A case report

Breast cancer‐related lymphedema following axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) has been documented in 6%–55% of patients, mostly occurring within the next 3 years after radiation or surgery. We present a case of a 53‐year‐old patient with hormone positive, stage IB, left breast invasive ductal carcinoma treated with immediate lymphatic and microvascular breast reconstruction (MBR) using vascularized lymph node transfer (VLNT) for lymphedema prevention. A deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap (18.3 × 11.2‐cm) and simultaneous prophylactic gastroepiploic‐VLNT (7 × 3‐cm), orthotopically inset in the axilla, were used for reconstruction following mastectomy and radical ALND. The procedure was uneventful. The patient did not display increased postoperative arm circumferences. ICG lymphography did not show any changes at 2‐ and 3‐years after surgery. Preventive lymphatic reconstruction with GE‐VLNT and immediate MBR using the DIEP flap offers a new possibility for the primary prevention of lymphedema and simultaneous immediate autologous breast reconstruction without the risk of iatrogenic lymphedema. Further studies will be directed to unveil the external validity of these findings and the risk reduction rate of this approach.