Breast augmentation surgery is a means for adding volume to the breast using saline-filled or silicone gel-filled breast implants. Attempts to add volume to the breast using other materials in the past have generally been unsuccessful. The first breast augmentation procedure using silicone gel-filled implants was reported by Drs. Cronin and Gerow in 1964. These implants were inserted through an incision in the fold under the breast. In 1972, a technique for inserting implants through an incision under the areola was described by Dr. Jenny. In 1973, an armpit incision site was described by Dr. Hoehler. These three incision sites have been the primary means for inserting implants over the years.
In 1992, a new technique for inserting saline-filled breast implants through a small incision in the navel was described. The approach was an extension of a technique for inserting implants through a small tunnel while performing abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) surgery first described in 1976. It also benefits from the ability of saline implants to be compressed into a tight cylinder for insertion prior to inflation. Dr. Win Pound in Atlanta, Georgia was the first board-certified plastic surgeon to pioneer this technique.
TECHNIQUE:The incision site in the navel, the tunnels to the breast, and the outline of the breast are marked with a marking pen (Fig. 1). An incision is made in the navel and a long instrument is used to make a tunnel just under the skin up to the breast. The tunnel can be placed above or below the pectoralis major (chest) muscle. The position of the tunnel can be confirmed with an endoscope.
A disposable breast implant sizer can then be rolled into a cigar shape and passed up the tunnel to a position behind the breast (Fig 2). It is inflated with air or saline to help develop the breast pocket. It is also used to check the proposed size and position of the implant that will subsequently be placed.
Additional refinements to the breast implant pocket can be made with a long hook-shaped instrument (Fig. 3). The disposable sizer is then removed and replaced with the final implant which is also rolled into a cigar shape and passed up the tunnel into the pocket. This implant is inflated with saline to the final volume. The fill tube is removed and the incision is closed with dissolvable sutures.ADVANTAGES OF THE TUBA APPROACH OVER OTHER APPROACHES:
- A single small scar is produced in a remote, hidden location (the navel) rather than scars on the breast or in the armpits.
- Then entire procedure takes less than an hour to perform.
- There is no cutting of tissue in the breast. This results in a faster recovery as well as less risk of damaging sensory nerves to the breast and nipple.
- There is almost no bleeding involved.
- The TUBA approach can only be used with inflatable saline implants. Silicone gel implants can
- not be inserted using this method.
- There is less precision with this approach in developing the breast pocket.
- Future surgeries or difficulties encountered during the initial surgery may need to be addressed through a different incision.
Visit us Online for more information - http://www.winpound.com/
Is there anyway to make your breast implant leak or rupture? Long story but I want to know if there is a way to make your breast implant leak or rupture?
ReplyDeleteThe TUBA approach seems to be an unpopular breast augmentation procedure, as I don’t read about it very often. With all these procedures, it is important to communicate openly and effectively with your surgeon so he/she can determine the best breast augmentation procedure for you. For example, you should discuss if you’d be willing to have scars under the breast, or you’d want a procedure that will only leave scars on the underarms. You and your surgeon should go through every detail meticulously, so you wouldn’t end up with a procedure that you will regret later on. Such a discussion will also help you evaluate which post-operative process you know you can go through.
ReplyDelete- Shavonda Duarte
@Shavonda – You’re right. The scar can be removed but the details of the procedure must be talked over meticulously between the patient and the surgeon. I know this TUBA approach can be helpful to those who want to avoid the visible scars, but I guess it’s better to decide to undergo this operation when you have thought about it for a thousand times. Think about the pros and cons, just like with any other plastic surgery procedure.
ReplyDeleteMarc Bryan