Patients and methods
This retrospective study reviewed nine patients with advanced breast cancer from June 2015 to October 2019 who received reconstruction with an LD flap and STSGs, followed by NPWT. All patients underwent modified radical mastectomy (MRM) and developed skin defects of dimensions greater than 15 cm × 15 cm; eight of the nine patients received immediate reconstruction. Moreover, of the nine patients, one had undergone previous abdominal surgery, and the others refused to receive TRAM reconstruction. NPWT was applied to all patients, and the detailed procedure is described as follows.