Simulated metastatic carcinoma after breast reconstruction.

In two patients who had undergone mastectomies and reconstruction for breast carcinoma, suspicious lesions were noted on chest roentgenograms. Subsequent studies revealed the lesions to be shadows from the reconstructed nipples. The most frequently employed techniques for nipple reconstruction involve the grouping and overlapping of multiple local flaps which results in a round radiodensity on a roentgenogram. Patients with suspicious roentgenographic lesions after breast reconstruction should have oblique films taken to localize the lesion.