Breast reconstruction with the omentum flap: a case report with unsatisfactory outcome and review of the literature

Recently, breast reconstruction with the greater omentum flap has gained more attention, although it has been only rarely reported in the literature. An unpleasant case presented by us here prompted us to perform a literature search on breast reconstruction with the omentum flap concerning postoperative results and complication rates. We here present the case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with severe infection 3 months after omentum flap reconstruction in a distant local hospital. Intraoperative revision showed an inflammatory, completely necrotic flap that had to be removed. The literature review shows that the omentum flap can be reasonably used only in one-sided reconstructions of very small breasts. Due to the limited indications, unpredictable flap volume, and our negative experience, we recommend that this type of reconstruction be used with restraint.