Systematic review demonstrates improved abdominal function with DIEP flaps in breast reconstruction, suggesting a need for standardized measurements.
DIEP flaps yield superior abdominal muscle function outcomes compared to TRAM flaps of all types, particularly when performing bilateral ABR. Future research should aim to standardise abdominal function measurement and reporting of intra-operative variables, such as the length of fascial and muscle incisions, the number of abdominal motor nerve branches sacrificed, and the use of abdominal mesh to enable more complete understanding of the impact of abdominal flap-based ABR on abdominal wall function.
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Holten et al. (2026) studied this question.
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