Intraoperative Indocyanine Green Angiography for Fat Necrosis Reduction in the Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) Flap.

Background: Fat necrosis is a frequent complication (up to 62.5%) of microsurgical breast reconstruction using the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap. This could have important clinical and psychological repercussions, deteriorating the results and increasing reconstruction costs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the intraoperative use of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) to reduce fat necrosis in DIEP flap.

Methods: Sixty-one patients who underwent unilateral DIEP flap procedures for breast reconstruction after oncological mastectomy were included (24 cases with intraoperative use of ICGA during surgery, 37 cases in the control group). The follow-up period was 1 year after surgery. The association between the use of ICGA and the incidence of fat necrosis in the first postoperative year, differences in fat necrosis grade (I-V), differences in fat necrosis requiring reoperation, quality of life, and patient satisfaction were analyzed.

Results: The incidence of fat necrosis was reduced from 59.5% (control group) to 29% (ICG-group) (P = 0.021) (relative risk = 0.49 [95% CI, 0.25-0.97]). The major difference was in grade II (27% vs 2.7%, P = 0.038). The number of second surgeries for fat necrosis treatment was also reduced (45.9% vs 20.8%, P = 0.046). The ICG group had higher scores on the BREAST-Q.

Conclusions: Intraoperative ICGA is a useful technique for reconstructive microsurgery that might improve patient satisfaction and reduce the incidence of fat necrosis by half as well as reduce its grade, especially in small fat necrosis cases; consequently, ICGA could reduce the number of secondary surgeries for treatment of fat necrosis.