Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of General Surgery

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death among women worldwide. Axillary lymphadenectomy (ALN) continues to be the standard option in many cases of breast cancers. In addition to pain, haematoma and infection, the main early adverse effect of ALN is the post-operative seroma formation. Various techniques have been studied in an attempt to minimize post-mastectomy drainage volumes and the incidence of seroma. In this technique, at the point of skin closure, patients either underwent axillary 2exclusion3 or not. The technique involved suturing the superior mastectomy skin flap down to the free edge of pectoralis major and the lateral chest wall and then placing 4-6 inter-rupted sutures between pectoralis major and minor to reliably exclude the axillary fossa from the remainder of the mastectomy cavity. A pressure dressing was applied to all wounds Vac suction drains were placed at surgery in all patients and total drain outputs were recorded by community district nursing staff for all patients prior to drain removal

Issued also as CD