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Successful Relief of a Male Breast Lymphedema by Supermicrosurgical Lymphaticovenular Anastomosis

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Background Breast lymphedema is a common issue after breast cancer surgery but remains understudied because it is difficult to be quantified. Untreated breast lymphedema may lead to severe form of… Click to show full abstract

Background Breast lymphedema is a common issue after breast cancer surgery but remains understudied because it is difficult to be quantified. Untreated breast lymphedema may lead to severe form of delayed breast cellulitis. Supermicrosurgical lymphaticovenular anastomosis is one option for the treatment of breast cancer–related lymphedema but has not been described for the treatment of breast lymphedema. Methods This report presented a rare case of male breast lymphedema secondary to axillary lymph node dissection for the treatment of a forearm melanoma. Deep lymphatic vessels and adjacent venules were individualized under high magnification in the periareolar area. Six lymphaticovenular anastomoses were performed using supermicrosurgical techniques. A clinical examination and a volume assessment under magnetic resonance imaging were used to assess the efficiency of surgery. Results Postoperative outcome was uneventful. The patient was followed-up during 1 year. Swelling relief was clinically significant 3 months postoperatively. The pinch test reduction was 2 cm after 12 months. The breast volume reduction rate was 47.2%. Conclusions Supermicrosurgical lymphaticovenular anastomosis may be efficient for the treatment of postoperative breast lymphedema, even in male patients.

Keywords: male breast; supermicrosurgical lymphaticovenular; breast; lymphaticovenular anastomosis; breast lymphedema

Journal Title: Annals of Plastic Surgery
Year Published: 2018

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