Anatomic Location of a Sensory Nerve to the Transverse Upper Gracilis (TUG) Flap: A Novel Option for Sensate Autologous Tissue Reconstruction

A January 2017 article in the New York Times, "After Mastectomies, an Unexpected Blow: Numb New Breasts," made the concept of hypoesthesia after mastectomy mainstream. This, along with advances in cadaveric nerve grafts, has led to a surge in the number of publications regarding sensate autologous breast reconstruction. Autologous breast reconstruction typically utilizes an abdominal donor site and the majority of research in sensate autologous tissue has been performed in DIEP or TRAM flaps [3, 4].