Abstract:

Objective

To investigate effectiveness and feasibility of breast defects reparation with lateral thoracodorsal fasciocutaneous flap following breast conserving surgery.

Methods

In our study of breast conserving surgery,all the patients were treated by extended tumor resection.The surgical margin was at least 0.5 cm,and the skin that invaded by the tumor was resected together.Then a triangular lateral thoracodorsal fasciocutaneous flap was designed to fill the skin defect,and the incision was used to complete the axillary lymph node dissection.

Results

A total of 7 patients received this surgery.The biggest diameter of the tumors resected was 5.5 cm and the surgical margin showed no cancer cells residue,three patients had their nipple-areola complex removed.The average operative time was 3 hours,the average bleeding amount was 300 ml.No postoperative complications such as skin flap necrosis occurred.The median postoperative follow-up time was 19.5 months,and no relapse was found in all the patients.The esthetic results were excellent,and all the patients were satisfied with their breast appearance.

Conclusions

It's a good method to use lateral thoracodorsal fasciocutaneous flap to fill breast tissue defects following breast conserving surgery,and this method may give more chances to the women of breast cancer who have lost the opportunity of breast conserving surgery.

Key words: Breast neoplasms, Breast conserving surgery, Lateral thoracodorsal fasciocutaneous flap