Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap
Lymphedema is a common complication after mastectomy in breast cancer patients. Many treatment options are available, but no treatment results in a complete cure. We report a case of lymphedema that occurred after modified radical mastectomy in a breast cancer patient who showed objective improvemen...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.
2012-03-01
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| Series: | Archives of Plastic Surgery |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.e-aps.org/upload/pdf/aps-39-154.pdf |
| _version_ | 1798034093721518080 |
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| author | Kyeong Tae Lee So-Young Lim Jai-Kyung Pyun Goo-Hyun Mun Kap-Sung Oh Sa-Ik Bang |
| author_facet | Kyeong Tae Lee So-Young Lim Jai-Kyung Pyun Goo-Hyun Mun Kap-Sung Oh Sa-Ik Bang |
| author_sort | Kyeong Tae Lee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lymphedema is a common complication after mastectomy in breast cancer patients. Many treatment options are available, but no treatment results in a complete cure. We report a case of lymphedema that occurred after modified radical mastectomy in a breast cancer patient who showed objective improvement after delayed breast reconstruction with an latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. A 41-year-old female patient with left breast cancer had undergone modified radical mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection and postoperative radiotherapy 12 years previously. Four years after surgery, lymphedema developed and increased in aggravation despite conservative treatment. Eight years after the first operation, the patient underwent delayed breast reconstruction using the extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap method. After reconstruction, the patient's lymphedema symptoms showed dramatic improvement by subjective measures including tissue softness and feeling of lightness, and by objective measures of about 7 mL per a week, resulting in near normal ranges of volume. At a postoperative follow-up after 3 years, no recurrence was observed. Delayed breast reconstruction with extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps may be helpful to patients with lymphedema after mastectomy. This may be a good option for patients who are worried about the possibility of the occurrence or aggravation of secondary lymphedema. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:39:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-24fcf92d86fc44168a7270ce77e80127 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2234-6163 2234-6171 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T20:39:33Z |
| publishDate | 2012-03-01 |
| publisher | Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Plastic Surgery |
| spelling | doaj.art-24fcf92d86fc44168a7270ce77e801272022-12-22T04:04:15ZengThieme Medical Publishers, Inc.Archives of Plastic Surgery2234-61632234-61712012-03-0139215415711Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous FlapKyeong Tae Lee0So-Young Lim1Jai-Kyung Pyun2Goo-Hyun Mun3Kap-Sung Oh4Sa-Ik Bang5Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.Department of Plastic Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.Lymphedema is a common complication after mastectomy in breast cancer patients. Many treatment options are available, but no treatment results in a complete cure. We report a case of lymphedema that occurred after modified radical mastectomy in a breast cancer patient who showed objective improvement after delayed breast reconstruction with an latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. A 41-year-old female patient with left breast cancer had undergone modified radical mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection and postoperative radiotherapy 12 years previously. Four years after surgery, lymphedema developed and increased in aggravation despite conservative treatment. Eight years after the first operation, the patient underwent delayed breast reconstruction using the extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap method. After reconstruction, the patient's lymphedema symptoms showed dramatic improvement by subjective measures including tissue softness and feeling of lightness, and by objective measures of about 7 mL per a week, resulting in near normal ranges of volume. At a postoperative follow-up after 3 years, no recurrence was observed. Delayed breast reconstruction with extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flaps may be helpful to patients with lymphedema after mastectomy. This may be a good option for patients who are worried about the possibility of the occurrence or aggravation of secondary lymphedema.http://www.e-aps.org/upload/pdf/aps-39-154.pdfBreast reconstructionPedicled flapLymphedema |
| spellingShingle | Kyeong Tae Lee So-Young Lim Jai-Kyung Pyun Goo-Hyun Mun Kap-Sung Oh Sa-Ik Bang Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap Archives of Plastic Surgery Breast reconstruction Pedicled flap Lymphedema |
| title | Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap |
| title_full | Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap |
| title_fullStr | Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap |
| title_full_unstemmed | Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap |
| title_short | Improvement of Upper Extremity Lymphedema after Delayed Breast Reconstruction with an Extended Latissimus Dorsi Myocutaneous Flap |
| title_sort | improvement of upper extremity lymphedema after delayed breast reconstruction with an extended latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap |
| topic | Breast reconstruction Pedicled flap Lymphedema |
| url | http://www.e-aps.org/upload/pdf/aps-39-154.pdf |
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