RSS 1.0Breast Unit
Recent Submissions
-
Acromiothoracic Venous Supercharge for Abdominal-Based Free Flaps in Breast and Chest Wall ReconstructionBackground: Supercharging the venous drainage of free abdominal flaps in breast reconstruction has been well described in the literature, with diverse options used to augment venous drainage. In this study, we present our experience in using the acromiothoracic vein (ATV)/thoracoacromial vein (TAV) as a secondary recipient vein for the superficial inferior epigastric vein (SIEV) of free, muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps in breast and chest wall reconstruction. Patients and methods: We retrospectively reviewed 523 free, muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous flaps the senior author (H.H.K.) performed between 2009 and 2022 for breast and chest wall reconstruction; 46 cases required venous super drainage. Seventeen patients had ipsilateral SIEV anastomosed into the second internal mammary vein, 5 had ipsilateral SIEV anastomosed into flap second deep inferior epigastric vein, and 24 required the use of the (ATV)/(TAV), which will be the focus of this study. Results: The study included 24 female (20 breast and 4 chest wall reconstruction) patients ranging in ages between 39 and 72 years. They had a median follow-up of 26 months. Combined muscle splitting and cutting techniques were used to expose the ATV/TAV. Increase in operative time ranged between 10 and 20 minutes (median, 12 minutes). Vein coupler sizes were 1.5 to 3 mm. The mean weight of the flap was 740 g (range, 460-1300 g). There was 1 flap failure (salvage with latissimus dorsi flap performed), whereas 23 flaps wholly survived. Conclusions: The ATV/TAV is a suitable recipient for venous supercharging free flaps used to reconstruct breast and chest wall defects.
-
Benign osseous metaplasia of the breast infiltrated by invasive pleomorphic lobular carcinoma : a case reportIntroduction and importance: Benign osseous metaplasia (BOM) is a rare entity, with only few cases reported in the breast. Here we present an unusual case of pleomorphic lobular carcinoma of the breast infiltrating BOM, discuss potential mimics and review the literature. Case presentation: An 86 year-old female presented with right breast lump for two weeks. Clinical examination revealed a palpable mass, associated with skin tethering and nipple inversion. Mammography and ultrasound showed a densely calcified lesion associated with parenchymal distortion. Core biopsy confirmed malignancy and the patient underwent mastectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy. Histological assessment showed a 45 mm mass of benign bone trabecula infiltrated by invasive grade 2 lobular carcinoma of classic and pleomorphic types with nodal positivity (2/2). The patient received adjuvant radiotherapy to chest wall and axilla for 3 months. She remains well on aromatase inhibitors after 9 months of follow up. Clinical discussion: Few cases of breast BOM have been reported in the literature commonly in association with benign lesions such as fibroadenomas. So far, only two cases associated with invasive classic lobular carcinoma have been reported in the literature. The main differential is metaplastic (mesenchymal/ matrix producing) carcinoma, in which the osseous component is malignant and the cancer if often of a high grade, basal phenotype. Conclusion: We present the first case of BOM of the breast associated with invasive pleomorphic lobular carcinoma. Awareness of the entity and distinction from metaplastic carcinoma and malignant phyllodes with heterologous element are important to ensure appropriate patient management.