[Axillary lymphocele after axillary dissection or sampling of sentinel lymph node in breast cancer]. / Lymphocèles axillaires après curage ou prélèvement du ganglion sentinelle en cas de cancer du sein.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the rate of seromas after axillary dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy. This is a prospective study based upon a series of 229 patients. Among those 229 patients, 179 had an axillary dissection and 50 had a sentinel lymph node biopsy. In the axillary dissection group, 40% of patients developed a seroma. The maximum number of aspirations needed was 8. In the sentinel lymph node group, 18% of patients developed a seroma that never recurred after a single aspiration. Seromas are still a very frequent complication after axillary dissection. The sentinel lymph node biopsy has helped to reduce the rate of axillary seroma, and the number of aspirations needed to evacuate them.