Oncoplastic Reconstruction with Superior Based Lateral Breast Rotation Flap after Lower Quadrant Tumor Resection / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Poor cosmetic outcome have been reported as a result of breast cancer operation due to lower quadrant breast tumors; this is particularly true for women with small, firm breasts. Herein, we report here on the use of superior based lateral breast rotation flap reconstruction to improve cosmetic outcome in patients with lower quadrant breast cancer. METHODS: We enrolled 33 patients with invasive breast cancer located in the lower quadrant of the breast, which were located more than 2 cm apart from the nipple. After completing a quadrantectomy, a single S-shaped or reverse S-shaped incision was made from axilla to tumor site. Two triangular skin islands, one on the axilla and one overlying the tumor were marked for excision. Once the fibroglandular tissues and the additional fatty tissue of the lateral chest wall were appropriately mobilized, the breast defect was closed at the mid-point of the parenchymal thickness in order to keep the natural position of the infra mammary fold. RESULTS: Median tumor size was 2.3 cm (range, 0.7-3.5 cm) and median resected volume was 35.5 g (range, 27.0-51.0 g). With a mean follow-up of 24.5 months (range, 9.0-33.5 months), cosmetic outcomes were good (94.0%) to fair (6.0%) at 6 months after the procedure, and there was no local or systemic recurrence during the short term follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Clearly, this type of rotation flap reconstruction is an oncologically safe and a cosmetically sound procedure. Hopefully this rotation flap reconstruction technique will become more widely available and perhaps a standard procedure for lower quadrant breast tumors, especially for cosmetic treatment of small to medium-sized breasts.

Effects of Simple and Disposable Chicken Cages for Experimental Eimeria Infections

During experimental Eimeria infections in chickens, facilities are often contaminated by fecal oocysts known to be highly resistant to both chemical and enzymatic treatments. Thus, studies using experimental Eimeria infections have been limited due to the difficulty of complete elimination of residual oocysts from both cages and facilities. To overcome this limitation, simple, inexpensive, and disposable cages were constructed from cardboard boxes and tested during experimental Eimeria maxima infections. The cages were used in animal rooms with only a 1.7% evidence of coccidia contamination between adjacent cages. No significant differences in fecal oocyst output and body weight gain were noted between animals housed in disposable cages and animals housed in wire control cages. This cage design is a useful means for preventing oocyst contamination during experimental conditions, suggesting that this disposable cage design could be used for other avian infectious disease studies.