Gland Surgery has the honor to have Dr. Maurice Nahabedian from Georgetown University serve as guest editor of the special issue on “Advancements and Innovations in Breast Reconstruction”. Dr. Nahabedian is a member of the editorial board for Gland Surgery and has invited renowned experts to participate in the special issue. The intent of this edition is to provide the readership with up-to-date information on prosthetic and autologous breast reconstruction with the goal of improving surgical and aesthetic outcomes. There have been significant advancements in the areas of prosthetic devices, fat grafting, use of acellular dermal matrices, perforator flaps, preoperative and intraoperative imaging as well as oncoplastic surgery that have provided surgeons and patients with more options to achieve ideal aesthetics. Other relevant subjects include the importance of preoperative evaluation as well as radiation therapy and the effects it can have on the final outcome. This special edition is scheduled to be published in 2015 and will certainly be a “must-read” for all plastic and breast surgeons involved in breast surgery.

The outline of the upcoming issue is followed. Free submissions on this topic are welcomed to be included to the special issue after peer-review process and the guest editor’s final review.

OUTLINE

Preface
Maurice Nahabedian, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA

Essential elements of the preoperative breast reconstruction evaluation
Bert Losken, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Anatomic and physiologic fundamentals for autologous breast reconstruction
Michel St Cyr, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Comparative analysis of fluorescent angiography, CTA and MRI for breast reconstruction
Warren Rozen, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Abdominal perforator versus muscle sparing flaps for breast reconstruction
Liza Wu, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Improving outcomes with gluteal and thigh free flaps for breast reconstruction
Joseph Dayan, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New York, NY, USA

Achieving ideal breast aesthetics with autologous breast reconstruction
Maurice Nahabedian, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA

Achieving ideal donor site aesthetics with autologous breast reconstruction
Maurice Nahabedian, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA

Update on current devices for prosthetic breast reconstruction
Kristina O’Shaughnessy, Baptist Hospital, Nashville, TN, USA

Current strategies with 1-stage prosthetic breast reconstruction
Amy Colwell, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Current strategies with 2-stage prosthetic breast reconstruction
Steve Jacobsen, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

Revision of the unsatisfactory breast reconstruction: techniques and outcomes
John Kim, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

Oncoplastic breast surgery: current strategies
Hani Sbitany. UCSF. San Francisco, CA, USA

Fat grafting and breast reconstruction: Tips for ensuring predictability
Allen Gabriel, Southwest Washington Medical Center, Vancouver, Washington DC, USA

Lymphatic mapping and lymphedema surgery in the breast cancer patient
Ketan Patel, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Current perspectives on radiation therapy in the setting of autologous and prosthetic breast reconstruction
Steven Kronowitz, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston TX, USA