Breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and implants: a practical guide to immediate and delayed reconstruction.

Breast reconstruction with tissue expanders and implants offers patients satisfying aesthetic results with no donor site morbidity. This article provides a practical guide for successful reconstruction using current techniques and available devices. Preoperative planning is discussed, emphasizing close collaboration with medicial and surgical oncology colleagues. Special concerns regarding adjuvant radiation are also addressed. Intraoperative techniques that optimize the final result are presented, along with a reliable and reasoned approach to the management of complications. Following these guidelines, aesthetically pleasing results with few complications can be obtained consistently.