The SIEA flap technique refers to the superficial inferior epigastric artery and utilizes tissue and blood vessels from the lower abdomen.
The superficial inferior epigastric artery (SIEA) flap reconstruction is similar to the deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction in that the skin and fat from the lower abdomen is used to create a natural looking breast reconstruction. The only difference between DIEP and SIEA flaps is in the blood supply for the flaps. The blood vessels for the SIEA flap are superficial (closer to the skin). Since the vessels are very superficial, the muscle is not touched. This results in a quick recovery and zero chance of hernia.
The major limitation for the SIEA flap is that not everyone has large enough superficial inferior epigastric vessels for the operation to be successful. Preoperative imaging can help determine if a patient is a candidate, but the ultimate determination is made in the operating room with visualization of the vessel size.
Similar to the DIEP flap, the SIEA flap can only be done once. Additionally, many patients are not candidates for a SIEA flap reconstruction.
