Practical workshop on breast reconstructive surgery
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On June 24, 2016, an oblast-level workshop on breast reconstructive surgery and a "Reconstructive mammoplasty" practical workshop were organized on the basis of the department of reconstructive surgery in the Lviv Oblast Cancer Treatment and Diagnostics Centre.
The attendees had an opportunity to get familiarized with a report on assistance to cancer patients in the Lviv oblast, specifically that of Mr. Oleh Duda, Deputy Head physician in the Lviv Cancer Treatment and Diagnostics Centre, and with a report on "Pressing issues of breast reconstructive operations" by prof. Vasyl Khrapach, doctor of medicine at Bogomolets Kiev National Medical University.
Vasyl Vasyliovych Khrapach is a doctor of medicine, prof., President of Plastic Surgeons Club, who started his way of a plastic surgeon under the guidance of Giancarlo Spallone at the University of Rome "La Sapienza". (For more information about the physician, please see http://www.khrapach.com).
Breast cancer treatment requires a difficult choice between radical surgerical interventions to remove tumor most effectively, and a good aesthetic result for maximum maintenance of the volume of the breast tissue.
The balance between these challenges is effectively achieved in case of small tumors, so early diagnosis prior to treatment is the basis for a good result after treatment. This ambitious goal is the basis of the "Preventive oncology" Subproject supported by the World Bank, namely in terms of setting up mammography screening in the oblast.
"The project is important not only to detect early tumors, but also to provide good patient treatment. Beautiful breast, in addition to cancer elimination, is a today's challenge.
Therefore, much attention is now payed to breast recovery after major surgeries on breast".
Unfortunately, nowadays many tumors primarily detected in the breast of our women do not give them a chance to be preserved by a surgical mammologist, so mastectomy needs to be performed (complete removal of the breast tissue). However, in this case, modern developed approaches to aesthetics suggest the whole strategy for breast surgery, specifically oncoplastic direction in mammology.
Professor V.V. Khrapach shared practical advice with mammologists from the Western Ukraine on skin preservation technique for remote breast rehabilitation, because professionally performed mastectomy in terms of plastic surgery is a prerequisite of a good aesthetic result upon the gland volume recovery.
The methods of breast reconstruction were also discussed during the practical workshop. Actually, the professor performed eskpander insertion into the tissues remained after mastectomy for further replacement with bulky gel-filled imlant that imitate full breast.
Achievement of the symmetry between a healthy breast and the one surgically reconstructed is a very important mission of remote reconstruction, therefore the professor stressed the need for symmetrizing surgical corrections of a healthy breast and performed the insertion of implants into a healthy breast.
Working with scar tissue after previous radical surgical interventions for breast cancer, the attitude of the surgeons towards maximum preserving surgery on breast skin, preserving anatomical landmarks of the breast (submammary fold, jugular fossa, axillary anatomy, etc.), working with artificial materials (implants, expanders), the principles of artificial implant concealment with natural tissues (pieces of muscles and skin-muscle pieces), as practically and theoretically explained by the professor, -this all looked masterly and extremely informative for the expert mammologists.
The practical workshop was attended by leading experts in the field of breast cancer in Lviv, Ternopil, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia, and Rivne oblasts. Live broadcast of the surgeries performed in the surgical room was provided to the conference room and lecture rooms of the cancer treatment centres of western Ukraine.
Orest Volodymyrovych Tril, surgical oncologist
Deputy Head physician for the medical unit.
