Harmonic scalpel versus conventional diathermy: Is one really better than the other?

ABSTRACT

Breast cancer is on the rise and so are the surgeries done for the same. Mastectomy and breast conservation surgery remain the common surgical modalities practiced for treatment of primary tumor. Axillary lymph node dissection and sentinel lymph node biopsy are the commonest surgical modalities used for the treatment of axilla. Flap necrosis, seroma, wound infection, and postoperative neuralgia as well as numbness over the lateral aspect of arm are the common postoperative complications. All these lead to increased patient morbidity and hospital stay, and development of techniques that lead to reduction of these have remained common areas of research. One such modality is the use of ultrasonic energy of harmonic scalpel in surgeries of the breast and axilla done for breast cancer.