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Interpectoral approach to dissection of the Axillary Apex: An elegant and effective approach
Author(s) -
Pai Ajit,
Gupta Piyush,
Raina Sudip,
Nadkarni Mandar S.,
parmar Vani,
Badwe R.A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.20378
Subject(s) - medicine , apex (geometry) , dissection (medical) , axillary dissection , surgery , general surgery , anatomy , mastectomy , breast cancer , cancer
Background Axillary dissection is the goldstandard for treatment of the axilla. It provides important prognostic information, accurately stages the axilla, and has the lowest recurrence rate among all modalities. In today's age of conservation surgery, the axilla is often addressed through a cosmetically acceptable small incision with limited access, thereby making clearance of the level III nodes difficult. Methods We describe a method of apical lymph node dissection through the interpectoral plane, which effectively clears the apex despite the constraints of limited exposure. Results This method has been used in nearly 5,000 axillary dissections performed at our institute, with excellent results. It preserves the innervation of the pectoral muscles and affords access to the interpectoral nodes. Conclusions Our method has a short learning curve, provides good exposure of a difficult area and consistently provides a good yield of nodes. J. Surg. Oncol. 2006;94:252–254. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.