A team of Melbourne scientists has developed a world-first
surgical technique that may allow women who have undergone
mastectomy to regrow their breasts.
Five women will undergo the experimental surgery at St
Vincent's Hospital within weeks to test the procedure, the
Herald Sun newspaper reports.
Scientists from the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery
will use the technique, known as Neopec, to implant a woman's
own fat cells in an artificial, breast-shaped chamber in her
chest.
The cells will quickly multiply and, if successful, are
shaped in the chamber to replace the breast tissue the woman
lost.
The surgery could replace breast reconstruction and the use
of implants following mastectomy, the newspaper said.
Bernard O'Brien director Professor Wayne Morrison said Neopec
was a big step forward but it might be 10 years before it
could be used for cosmetic purposes.
Neopec has been trialled successfully in pigs, and might
allow women to regrow breasts within months.
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