Most women who have had a mastectomy could also have a DIEP. There are only two absolute exceptions. The first, being a heavy smoker. The patient wanting to undergo an operation using this technique must quit smoking for a minimum period of six weeks prior to the intervention. And the second is that they have endured some kind of surgery to the abdomen that has impaired the vascularity of the abdominal wall. This second case is very rare, because most abdominal operations (gallbladder, hysterectomy, appendicitis...) do not damage the abdominal blood vessels.