Open AccessIncidental Internal Mammary Nodes during Recipient Vessel Dissection in Breast Reconstruction
Author(s) -
Aaron Grant,
Kristina Lutz,
Claire TempleOberle
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
plastic and reconstructive surgery. global open
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.759
H-Index - 28
ISSN - 2169-7574
DOI - 10.1097/gox.0000000000000245
Subject(s) - medicine , incidence (geometry) , breast cancer , biopsy , dissection (medical) , lymph node , mammary gland , radiology , surgery , oncology , cancer , physics , optics
Summary: Internal mammary (IM) lymph nodes may be exposed during recipient vessel preparation in free-flap breast reconstruction, and in rare cases, positivity of these nodes may affect treatment in patients with breast cancer. This systematic review examines the incidence and significance of IM nodes identified by plastic surgeons. Eligibility criteria included free-flap breast reconstruction with concurrent IM node biopsy. Data were analyzed for incidence of IM node biopsy and nodal positivity. Ten studies met inclusion criteria, with a total of 2055 patients and 717 nodes submitted to pathology. Incidence of IM positivity ranged approximately from 1% to 11%, for a calculated gross overall incidence of 2.9%. Of 59 patients with a positive IM node, 50 patients received additional adjuvant therapy, with insufficient data to determine the effect of treatment on survival