A two stage procedure is used to reconstruct breast with implants. First a tissue expander is inserted underneath the muscles of the chest after the mastectomy. The pectoralis muscle is elevated and a piece of human ADM is used to span the gap between the lower edge of the elevated pectoral muscle and the chest wall so that the expansion is done more comfortably. In the ensuing weeks to months, this device is slowly expanded as the body learns to accommodate the expander and the chest tissues stretch and begin to relax in preparation for the second stage of the procedure.
After a waiting period of six to twelve weeks, the patient is brought back to the operating room for the second stage when the expander is removed and replaced with an implant. The final implant can be saline or silicone gel.
