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The
Procedure
After
the incision is made within the belly button, the surgeon
uses a tubular, baton-like device to tunnel in the subcutaneous
tissue, not inside the abdomen, but just below the skin. This introducer is passed either beneath
the breast tissue or beneath the pectoralis muscle underlying
the breast.
(The choice of position depends upon the individual
patient and the surgeon and patient's preference.)
The introducer is then removed and a suitably sized saline
filled implant is selected. An eighteen inch long filler tube
is attached to the self-sealing valve in the implant, all
the air is removed from the implant, which now becomes pancake
like. The flattened implant is then rolled like a cigar and
slipped up the tunnel that has been made by the introducer
until it lies in the pocket underneath the breast. The filler
tube extends out through the incision in the navel.
Using a special syringe device the implant is filled with
sterile normal saline solution. As the implant is filled,
it unrolls and creates a pocket for itself that is the exact
size desired. The implant is over inflated and then deflated
until the final desired volume is reached.
When the final shape and volume has been achieved, the filler
tube is pulled upon and it slips out of the self-sealing valve.
As the filler tube exits from the valve a diaphragm snaps
closed and seals the implant. The filler tube is then completely
removed and the implant remains filled underneath the breast.
The identical procedure is then performed on the opposite
side and a saline filled implant is inserted in a similar
fashion. One can compensate for the variations in size and
shapes of the two different breasts by using different volumes
in the implants.
The
incision in the belly button is closed with a dissolving suture
and the patient is placed in a mildly compressive dressing
for twenty-four hours.
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