August 12, 2025Aesthetic Plastic SurgeryOpen Access

Comparing Minimally Invasive and Conventional Approaches to DIEP Flap Harvest: A Matched-Pair Analysis from a High-Volume Center

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Discussion

Retrospective analysis reveals reduced opioid use and faster recovery in minimally invasive DIEP flap harvest, suggesting better patient outcomes.

Minimally invasive DIEP flap harvest reduced time to first mobility by almost one day compared to conventional methods.
Patients undergoing minimally invasive technique required significantly less opioids postoperatively, averaging 18 mg versus 42 mg.
The fasciotomy length was shorter in the minimally invasive group, averaging 2.79 cm against 9.72 cm in the conventional group.
No flap losses occurred in either cohort, indicating the safety of minimally invasive DIEP flap harvesting.

Bucher et al. (2025) studied this question.

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Retrospective analysis reveals reduced opioid use and faster recovery in minimally invasive DIEP flap harvest, suggesting better patient outcomes.