Combining autologous ventral hernia repair using component separation with DIEP breast reconstruction

Concern about flap viability and abdominal wall integrity would normally exclude a patient with a large ventral midline hernia from having a breast reconstruction with a deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap. Ventral hernia repair using the abdominoplasty approach has been reported before. The abdominoplasty flap would normally be discarded. This article presents a unique case of a patient with a large incisional midline hernia who had a combined procedure of autologous hernia repair using component separation technique and DIEP breast reconstruction. The indications for DIEP breast reconstruction are therewith expanded.