TUG Flap

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Donor area marked on the inner thigh, a cross-section of the flap tissue, and the reconstructed breast

Transverse upper gracilis flap — one of the gracilis-based flaps, named for the direction of the thigh incision (the vertical and diagonal versions are called VUG and DUG). Uses skin, fat, muscle and blood vessels from the upper inner thigh. The gracilis muscle helps draw the leg inward, and the ASPS notes that this function is lost after the surgery, so it is worth asking your surgeon what to expect. For a larger breast it may be combined with an implant or another flap.

Sources: American Society of Plastic Surgeons; National Cancer Institute; American Cancer Society.