Welcome to the Center for Breast Reconstruction Blog.
Dr. Joshua Levine is a world-renowned microsurgeon specializing in perforator free flap breast reconstruction microsurgeon. This means that all of his breast reconstruction procedures use only your own natural body tissue (autologous) with total muscle preservation to reconstruct your breast(s).
Dr. Levine has been pioneering advancements in the field of perforator free flap breast reconstruction since the beginning of his career in 2004. He has completed thousands of these highly sophisticated breast reconstruction procedures. Dr. Levine operates at award-winning hospitals in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut where he has assembled hand-selected expert surgical teams.
Conference Presentations & Transcriptions
Breast Reconstruction Q&A Panel with Joshua Levine, MD; Constance Chen, MD; and Andrew Salzberg, MD
This is a 45-minute discussion of all things related to breast reconstruction between world-renowned microsurgeons Joshua Levine, MD; Constance Chen, MD; and Andrew Salzberg, MD.
Breast Reconstruction Overview: Your Right, Your Choice
This is a talk, delivered by Dr. Joshua L. Levine, that has traditionally been given by Kathy Steligo. It goes through the book she wrote called The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook, a very comprehensive and an excellent explanation of all of breast reconstruction options. We’ll be talking today about what is a mastectomy; what are the options after mastectomy; very briefly touch on no reconstruction, which is called going flat. Then, we’ll talk about the different options related to breast reconstruction, how to choose a plastic surgeon, and how to make some of these difficult decisions.
Mix & Match: A Staged Immediate Approach to Breast Reconstruction | Presentation By Dr. Joshua L. Levine
This is restricted due to surgical images. Mix & Match: A Staged Immediate Approach to Breast Reconstruction Transcription of above presentation: Hello, this is Dr. Joshua Levine. I'm a reconstructive microsurgeon in New York City and I do exclusively perforator flap breast reconstruction. In this presentation, I'll be talking about the timing of breast reconstruction. In this particular presentation, I'll be emphasizing the timing protocol that we call mix and match or staged immediate approach to breast reconstruction. Other terms that have been associated with this timing schedule include delayed immediate and [...]
PAP flap Breast Reconstruction Procedure | ASRM 2019 Palm Desert Presentation By Dr. Joshua L. Levine
This is restricted by YouTube due to surgical images. Click "Watch on YouTube" in order view presentation. Dr. Joshua L. Levine Explains PAP flap Breast Reconstruction Procedure for ASRM 2019 Palm Desert Transcription of above presentation: This is a presentation that I recently gave at the American Society of Reconstructive Microsurgery meeting. The intention of the presentation was to compare the PAP flap or the profunda artery perforator flap to another reconstructive option using the thigh as a donor site called the TUG flap, which is a muscle-sacrificing procedure, whereas the PAP [...]
Multiple and Delayed Flaps in Breast Reconstruction | Presentation by Dr. Joshua L. Levine
Dr. Levine discusses multiple and delayed flaps in breast reconstruction. For a plastic surgeon in order to reconstruct a cosmetically appropriate shaped & sized breast, the more volume of tissue that we have to deal with the better outcome we can provide and the more beautiful and aesthetic breast we can reconstruct.
Surgical Delay for Extending the DIEP | Presentation by Dr. Joshua L. Levine
Dr. Levine explains in this 2018 Presentation the Surgical Delay for Extending the DIEP. The surgical delay phenomenon is a well-known phenomenon in the surgical world. It's an instrument by which we are able to improve the blood supply to any donor tissue, and in this case, in perforator flap breast reconstruction.
What is a Perforator Flap? | FORCE 2018 Presentation by Dr. Joshua L. Levine
The title of this talk is “What is a Perforator Flap?”. Dr. Levine gave this talk in 2018 in San Diego at a conference called the FORCE Conference. FORCE is an organization which is designed to assist patients who have found out that they have increased risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer because of a genetic mutation.
Tripedicled Extended Abdominal Perforator Flap | Presentation by Dr. Joshua L. Levine
This is a paper that was accepted for presentation at our annual meeting in 2018. It is entitled the “Tripedicled Extended Abdominal Perforator Flap, a reliable option for low-body-weight patients requiring large autologous bilateral breast reconstruction.” It’s a very advanced topic in breast reconstruction, but I’m making it available because I think that in explaining the concept it elucidates some very, very important basic concepts about autologous breast reconstruction.
MRA Imaging in Breast Reconstruction | Presentation by Dr. Joshua L. Levine
In this presentation Dr. Levine discusses the MRA Imaging in Breast Reconstruction, or MR angiography. This is a study that we get through radiology on all of our patients who are going to undergo perforator flap breast reconstruction, namely, a DIEP, which is a deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap.
Breast Reconstruction Overview and Perforator Flaps | Presentation by Dr. Joshua L. Levine
This is a talk that Dr. Joshua L. Levine gave in 2015 at a FORCE meeting in order to educate patients who were dealing with the risk of having breast cancer. FORCE stands for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered, and it’s an organization that is geared towards providing information for patients who have genetic mutations which predispose them to a high risk of breast or ovarian cancer. The purpose of this talk is to provide an overview and basic understanding of what breast reconstruction is all about, and some of the advanced and gold-standard options possible that allow all women to be candidates.
Informative Articles & Q&A’s
Capsular Contracture Breast Reconstruction: When Implants Fail
Capsular Contracture in Breast Reconstruction: Natural Tissue Alternatives - Learn about capsular contracture, its symptoms, and explore the benefits of natural tissue breast reconstruction for lasting results.
Breast Implant Illness Symptoms: Recognizing the Warning Signs
This article discusses breast implant illness symptoms. In this blog post, we will explore breast implant illness symptoms and introduce an alternative to implant reconstruction known as natural tissue perforator flap reconstruction. Breast implants are considered foreign objects by the body, and when they are inserted, the immune system may respond by activating immune cells called macrophages. Macrophages are responsible for identifying and removing foreign objects and are found around the breast implants. Lets take a look at the science behind breast implant illness symptoms, by examining what happens in the body that may be causing fatigue, hair loss, [...]
Breast Reconstruction With Implants vs. Breast Reconstruction with Natural Tissue
Breast reconstruction with implants is a surgical procedure that involves using a breast implant to recreate the shape of a breast after a mastectomy or other type of breast surgery. While this type of reconstruction can be a successful option for some people, there are several complications that can arise from this type of surgery. This article takes a look at the risks and complications of breast reconstruction with implants, while also examining the option to choose breast reconstruction with your own natural tissue. Dr. Joshua L. Levine, the Director of the Center for Breast Reconstruction, is a pioneer micorsurgeon [...]
Implant Failure Risks After Chemotherapy or Radiation
This article discusses implant failure risks after chemotherapy or radiation. Natural tissue breast reconstruction and breast implant reconstruction are both options for women who have undergone treatment for breast cancer. Natural tissue reconstruction involves using the patient's own tissue, typically from another part of the body, to create a new breast mound. This can provide a more natural-looking and feeling result, and may avoid some of the potential complications associated with breast implants, such as infection or implant rupture. Additionally, natural tissue reconstruction does not require the use of foreign materials, which some women may prefer for personal or [...]
Q&A: What Are The Second Stage Breast Reconstruction Procedures?
Dr. Levine discusses nipple reconstruction and adjustments for shape and symmetry completed during a minor second stage breast reconstruction procedure.
Q&A: What is Better Diep Flap or Implants?
In this article Dr. Levine answers a patient's question, "What is better, diep flap or Implants?" After mastectomy, breasts can be reconstructed with either implants or the patient’s own body tissue. Reconstruction with the patient’s own body tissue is called autologous breast reconstruction, and the most sophisticated procedure for autologous breast reconstruction is the perforator flap.
Q&A: What is Preventative Mastectomy With Diep Flap Natural Tissue Breast Reconstruction? (BRCA 1 & 2 / Hereditary Risk)
Many women with a genetic predisposition for increased risk of breast cancer (BRCA 1 & 2) choose to have a preventative mastectomy with DIEP flap natural tissue breast reconstruction. In this article Dr. Joshua L. Levine provides an introduction to autologous breast reconstruction using perforator flaps, as well as explains the gold-standard of perforator flap breast reconstruction, known as the DIEP flap.