Higher body mass index is a more important risk factor than sarcopenia for complications in reconstruction of the deep inferior epigastric perforator.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, breast reconstruction using autologous tissue after breast cancer surgery has become a common procedure. This study investigated the association between the occurrence of complications in breast reconstruction using deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps and patient risk factors among Asian women. METHODS: This study included cases of breast reconstruction using DIEP flaps performed at our institution. We retrospectively investigated the relationship between preoperative and operative patient factors and postoperative complications by collecting data from medical records. Sarcopenia was also evaluated by calculating psoas muscle index from the area of the iliopsoas muscle at the level of the third lumbar vertebra using images from preoperative computed tomography. Postoperative complications were compared between a low-body mass index (BMI) group and a high-BMI group, defined using BMI values of <25 kg/m2 and ≥25 kg/m2, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 129 cases of breast reconstruction using DIEP flaps were included in this analysis. The frequency of postoperative complications was significantly higher in the high-BMI group, including for skin flap necrosis of the breast (p = 0.03), recipient-site infection (p = 0.03), and donor-site seroma (p = 0.003). Moreover, abdominal circumference correlated significantly with recipient-site infection (p = 0.01) and donor-site seroma (p = 0.002). Sarcopenia did not show significant correlations with any complications. CONCLUSION: BMI was identified as a risk factor for the occurrence of postoperative complications in breast reconstruction using the DIEP flap, but sarcopenia was not.

Study of the protocol used to evaluate skin-flap perfusion in mastectomy based on the characteristics of indocyanine green.

BACKGROUND: Indocyanine green angiography enables real-time visualization of blood vessels at depths of up to 10 mm beneath the body surface, thereby aiding the evaluation of the viability of skin flaps and predicting necrosis in surgical fields requiring good tissue perfusion. Although skin-flap necrosis also occurs in mastectomy without reconstruction, most studies have focused on reconstructive plastic surgery. Several patients undergoing mastectomy are eligible for postoperative adjuvant therapy, but complications can lead to delays in treatment and thus require prevention. However, a lack of a standard protocol for evaluating skin-flap perfusion using indocyanine green necessitates the study of its characteristics to facilitate comparison of the perfusion rate among individuals. METHODS: This retrospective study focused on the characteristics of indocyanine green and established a protocol for indocyanine green angiography using laser-assisted imaging (SPY system) to predict postoperative skin-flap necrosis from intraoperative images of 30 patients who underwent mastectomy without reconstruction. RESULTS: Our protocol predicted postoperative skin-flap necrosis as follows. First, the intravenous dose and concentration were set at 2.5 mg/mL and 0.05 mg/kg, respectively. Second, the timing of measurement was set to 100 s after the entry of indocyanine green into the skin (plateau phase); the analysis pattern was set to single frame. Third, comparisons among individuals were made using relative values. CONCLUSIONS: We analyzed the area of postoperative flap necrosis using this protocol. We found that the intraoperative images showed decreased perfusion in that area, which was useful in predicting skin-flap necrosis, as reported by previous breast reconstruction studies.

Hydronephrosis Caused by Metastatic Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer metastasizes mainly to organs such as bone, lung, and liver, whereas metastases to the peritoneum and urinary tract are rare. Metastasis to the peritoneum or urinary tract may result in renal dysfunction, infection, and painful hydronephrosis. In our hospital, 1,409 breast cancer surgeries were performed between January 2004 and December 2015, and 7 cases of hydronephrosis associated with recurrence were observed. The median age of patients was 69 years (57-79 years). The median time from surgery to diagnosis of hydronephrosis was 47 months (20-70 months). Histology was invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) in 6 cases and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC) in 1 case. There were 6 bilateral cases and 1 unilateral case of hydronephrosis. The causes were retroperitoneal metastasis in 5 cases and lymph node metastasis in 2 cases. The hydronephrosis was untreated in 2 cases, and treated with a ureteral stent in 2 cases, nephrostomy in 1 case, and nephrostomy due to ureteral stent failure in 2 cases. The median survival from the onset of hydronephrosis was 12 months (3-57 months). Although the probability of hydronephrosis in breast cancer recurrence was not high, care must be taken to avoid renal dysfunction, infection, or pain, which may require treatment.