RESUMO
Objective To study the advantage of using axillary fascia swelling in cleaning the lymph nodes in modified radical mastectomy. Methods 866 patients with breast cancer collected from June 2005 to June 2011 were divided into the observation group (578 cases, axilla-ry fascia swelling method) and the control group (288 cases, standard operation method), and the postoperative complications of the two groups were compared. Results In the observation group, there were 8 cases (1. 4%) of upper limb lymphatic edema, 13 cases (2. 2%) of chest wall and upper limb paresthesia, and 8 cases (1. 4%) of lymphatic leakage. The complications of the observation group were significantly reduced compared with the control group (P<0. 05), and there was no increase in the local recurrence rate (P<0. 05). Conclusion Axillary fascia swell-ing applied in cleaning lymph nodes could obviously reduce the postoperative complications after modified radical mastectomy.