a Spy Elite, one of the most advanced
fluorescence imaging systems.
The Spy Elite enables surgeons to
visualize microvascular blood flow
and the delivery of blood in tissues
during surgery.
“If I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t do the
surgery,” Dr. Hui-Chou said.
Helen Hui-Chou, MD, FACS looking
through the operating microscope
that is also used during the DIEP
flap breast reconstruction surgery.
transferred to the chest to reconstruct a
breast after a mastectomy. This proce-
dure also does not sacrifice any of the
abdominal muscles. It’s like having a
tummy tuck and breast reconstruction
at the same time.
In Luana’s case, her tissue was very
damaged from radiation therapy so she
chose to have a mastectomy, followed
by a DIEP flap procedure to rebuild her
breast shape.
“The thought of using your own tissue
to heal the broken parts of your body is
amazing,” Luana said. “Since I’ve had
the DIEP flap, I’ve experienced no pain.
It’s such a relief, mentally and physically.
I’m not worrying anymore.”
Dr. Hui-Chou performed the surgeries
for Luana’s breast reconstruction. Dr.
Hui-Chou came to Pali Momi specifically
to provide the DIEP flap procedure in
the islands.
“I had met surgeons in Texas and Califor-
nia who would say ‘The Hawai‘i health
14
systems send us surgeries for DIEP flap
because no one in Hawai‘i is doing it,’”
Dr. Hui-Chou said. “I thought to myself,
it’s not fair that patients who want this
have to fly away from home and their
family for such a big surgery elsewhere.”
So she moved to Hawai‘i for a chance to
deliver the specialized surgery.
She uses the Spy Elite to visualize how
the dye moves through the blood vessel
into the flap.