Surgical Advantage of Ultrasonically Activated Devices During Axillary Lymph Node Dissection for Breast Cancer

Purposes Axillary dissection is the gold standard for axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer patients. We compared surgical outcomes between ultrasonically activated devices (USADs) and thermal scalpel (TS) during axillary lymph node dissection in breast cancer patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective analysis for 73 patients using TS between June 2012 to May 2016 and 63 patients using USADs between June 2016 to January 2019 in the breast cancer patients who received axillary dissection. Surgical outcomes were compared among the groups statistically. Results Median operative time in the USAD group was significantly shorter than in the TS group (136 versus 182 minutes, P < 0.001). Intraoperative blood loss in the USAD group was also significantly lower than in the TS group (35 versus 120 mL, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the total drainage discharge in the USAD group was also significantly lower than in the TS group (570 versus 700 mL, P = 0.016). The lymphedema frequency in the USAD group was significantly less than in the TS groups (1 of 63 versus 7 of 73, P = 0.0296). Conclusion The USADs could improve surgical outcomes, such as lymphedema, for axillary dissection of the breast cancer surgery compared with TS.