TRAM flaps: a reconstructive option after bilateral nipple-sparing total mastectomy.

Background: Transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM) flaps have commonly been used as a reconstructive option after total mastectomy or modified radical mastectomy, but they can also serve as an appropriate alternative after bilateral nipple-sparing total mastectomy. In this study, performed from 1992 to 2002, 16 patients underwent TRAM flap breast reconstruction after bilateral nipple-sparing total mastectomy.

Methods: The indications for bilateral nipple-sparing total mastectomy all involved benign breast disease; these patients were evaluated using a health outcomes study and the aesthetic evaluations of four judges using postoperative photographs.