Colour-Doppler- Assisted Transverse Rectus Abdominis Flap Breast Reconstruction

Breast reconstruction after mastectomy is commonly performed using transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap. Previous studies have demonstrated that botulinum neurotoxin injections in TRAM flap surgeries lower the risk of necrosis and allow further expansion of arterial cross-sectional diameters. The study was designed to determine the ideal injection points for botulinum neurotoxin injection by exploring the arborization patterns of the intramuscular nerves of the rectus abdominis muscle. A modified Sihler’s method was performed on 16 rectus abdominis muscle specimens. Arborization of the intramuscular nerves was determined based on the most prominent point of the xyphoid process to the pubic crest. All 16 rectus abdominis muscle specimens were divided into four muscle bellies by the tendinous portion. The arborized portions of the muscles were located on the 5–15%, 25–35%, 45–55%, and 70–80% sections of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th muscle bellies, respectively. The tendinous portion was located at the 15–20%, 35–40%, 55–60%, and 90–100% sections. These results suggest that botulinum neurotoxin injections into the rectus abdominis muscles should be performed in specific sections.

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Breast reconstruction after breast cancer surgery – persistent pain and quality of life 1–8 years after breast reconstruction

Scandinavian Journal of Pain ◽

10.1515/sjpain-2021-0026 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Nina Honkanen ◽

Laura Mustonen ◽

Eija Kalso ◽

Tuomo Meretoja ◽

Hanna Harno

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

Breast Reconstruction ◽

Perforator Flap ◽

Persistent Pain ◽

Rectus Abdominis ◽

Preoperative Pain ◽

Significant Difference

Abstract Objectives To assess the long-term outcome of breast reconstructions with special focus on chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) in a larger cohort of breast cancer survivors. Methods A cross-sectional study on 121 women with mastectomy and breast reconstruction after mean 2 years 4 months follow up. The mean time from breast reconstruction to the follow-up visit was 4 years 2 months. We studied surveys on pain (Brief Pain Inventory, BPI and Douleur Neuropathique 4, DN4), quality of life (RAND-36 health survey), sleep (insomnia severity questionnaire, ISI), mood (Beck’s Depression Index, BDI; Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, HADS), and a detailed clinical sensory status. Patients were divided into three groups: abdominal flap (Deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, DIEP; Free transverse rectus abdominis flap, fTRAM, and Pedicled transverse rectus abdominis flap, pTRAM), dorsal flap (Latissimus dorsi flap, LD and Thoracodorsal artery perforator flap, TDAP), and other (Transverse myocutaneous gracilis flap, TMG; implant). Clinically meaningful pain was defined ≥ 4/10 on a numeric rating scale (NRS). We used patients’ pain drawings to localize the pain. We assessed preoperative pain NRS from previous data. Results 106 (87.6%) of the patients did not have clinically meaningful persistent pain. We found no statistically significant difference between different reconstruction types with regards to persistent pain (p=0.40), mood (BDI-II, p=0.41 and HADS A, p=0.54) or sleep (p=0.14), respectively. Preoperative pain prior to breast reconstruction surgery correlated strongly with moderate or severe CPSP. Conclusions Moderate to severe CPSP intensity was present in 14% of patients. We found no significant difference in the prevalence of pain across different reconstruction types. Preoperative pain associated significantly with postoperative persistent pain.

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