Factors Preventing Prolonged Closed-Suction Drain Placement after Immediate Breast Reconstruction with Tissue Expanders.

BACKGROUND: Prolonged drain placement occasionally causes complications such as infection in patients who have undergone implant-based breast reconstruction; therefore, the drainage period must be shortened to avoid complications. PURPOSE: To identify the factors that prevent prolonged drain placement in patients who have undergone immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders. METHODS: This was a retrospective medical chart review of all patients who underwent immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders at a single center from April 2013 to March 2016. Closed-suction drains were placed in and on the implant pocket. An extra drain was positioned in the axilla in patients undergoing axillary lymph node dissection. The drains were removed at a drainage volume of ≤50 ml per 24 hours. Prolonged drain placement was defined as a period greater than the 75th percentile among all patients. Nine potential risk factors associated with prolonged drain placement were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In total, 89 tissue expanders in 89 patients were placed in this study. Prolonged drain placement, determined as ≥9 days (range, 5-14 days), was significantly associated with body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, tissue expander size ≥500 ml, and intraoperative bleeding ≥100 ml, in the multivariate analysis. Axillary lymph node dissection with extra-axillary drainage did not prolong the drainage period. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that placing an extra-axillary closed-suction drain following axillary dissection, and reducing intraoperative bleeding and surgical trauma, could prevent prolonged drain placement in immediate breast reconstruction with tissue expanders.

[A Surgically Resected Case of Lung Metastases and Sister Mary Joseph's Nodule 24 Months after Operation for Pancreatic Cancer].

Metastatic umbilical tumors from internal malignancy, known as Sister Mary Joseph's Nodule(SMJN), are a relatively rare prognostic sign. An 86-year-old woman with pancreatic body carcinoma underwent distal pancreatectomy for D2 lymph node removal in 20XX. No peritoneal dissemination was found at that time. Postoperative chemotherapy was not administered due to her age. Eighteen months postoperatively, tumor marker values increased and chest computed tomography(CT) revealed a single mass in the left lung. We resected the suspected lung metastasis. Positron emission tomography-CT performed 23 months postoperatively for increased tumor marker values after resection showed a 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation ofapproximately 4 cm in the umbilicus. The diagnosis by biopsy was umbilical metastasis ofthe pancreatic cancer. No recurrence or other metastases were found, so we performed an umbilical tumor resection and abdominoplasty 24 months postoperatively. No peritoneal dissemination was found in her abdomen and the ascites cytology was negative. The tumor was in the subcutaneous tissue; thus, the possibility of infiltration from the primary site or peritoneal dissemination was low. The tumor marker values decreased after the resection. She was followed-up without postoperative anticancer chemotherapy. However, the tumor marker values increased again, so chemotherapy was initiated. We report a case ofresection of pancreatic cancer and operation for lung and umbilical metastases of pancreatic cancer.

Necessity of Distinguishing Verrucous Carcinoma From Verrucous Skin Lesion Overlaying Residual Skin Staples in an Area of Sensory Loss: A Case Report.

OBJECTIVE: Verrucous skin lesions on the feet in diabetic neuropathy is a condition usually induced by chronic mechanical stimulation of the feet of patients with diabetic neuropathy and usually occurs at weight-bearing sites. We here present a rare case involving a man with verrucous skin lesions on the feet in diabetic neuropathy at an unusual, non-weight-bearing site. METHODS: A 58-year-old man with diabetic neuropathy presented with a verrucous skin lesion overlaying residual skin staples and an amputation stump of the second metatarsal bone on the dorsal foot. RESULTS: The biopsy findings were inconclusive and suggested the necessity of distinguishing the lesion from verrucous carcinoma. The lesion was resected, and the residual skin staples were simultaneously removed. Investigation of the excisional biopsy confirmed our diagnosis of verrucous skin lesions on the feet in diabetic neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS: Verrucous skin lesions on the feet in diabetic neuropathy is often difficult to distinguish from verrucous carcinoma; in this case, the unusual location of the lesion could be attributed not only to sensory loss but also to the presence of an amputation stump and the persistence of the residual skin staples.