DIEP

Hi,

here’s an answer; It’s an acronym for a type of skin flap from tummy using skin and fat tissue to reconstruct a breast, it’s supposedly the Rolls Royce of reconstruction.  Stands for ‘Deep’ ‘Inferior’ (ie underneath) ‘Epigastric’ ‘Perforators’. It's a long operation, as I understand blood vessels need joining, and of course it then gives two operation sites, the breast and the tummy. 

hope that helps?

incidentally the site is at present being worked on! 
Hugs xxx

Moomy has summed it up quite succinctly. I had one nearly 3 years ago and very pleased with the results. But, not only is it a long operation the abdominal surgery ie where they take the fat from takes a bit of recovering from, as I expect you seen from posts from myself and others. If you go on the internet there are some very good diagrams of where they cut and take the fat required then they pull the skin down and re connect top and bottom parts. They do give you a new tummy button. It is amazing and complicated surgery and certainly the Rolls Royce of reconstruction if you can have it or can face it. Not everybody can also you need a specialist plastics surgeon who can do mirco surgery. The best is immediate reconstruction by DIEP as they do it all in one surgery. They perform the mastectomy via a small hole and then the plastics team re fill the same way after harvesting your tummy fat so the scars on your new breast are minimal and they are hidden when they come to do the nipple reconstruction and tattooing. XXxxx

That's brilliant, thank-you! :)

And that would explain why the Radiologist mentioned in passing I had plenty to reconstruct several ladies