Tumescent Anesthesia in Skin- and Nipple-sparing Mastectomy: Results of a Prospective Clinical Study

Background: The tumescent mastectomy technique has been used to facilitate dissection of subcutaneous tissue and mammary gland in order to reduce intraoperative bleeding and speed the operation.

Patients And Methods: A prospective clinical study was performed on 30 female patients undergoing immediate breast reconstructions after skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) or nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) in order to assess early postoperative complications, pain, and final esthetic outcome of skin flaps related to tumescent anesthesia (TA).

Results: TA significantly speeded-up the operative procedure (131±49.99 vs. 180.5±67.15 min; p=0.03) achieving less skin damage compared to patients who did not have TA (p=0.045); moreover, no significant difference occurred with regard to the length of in-hospital stay and overall lymphatic drainage.

Conclusion: The length of the operation as well as the final cosmetic outcome of skin flaps was significantly improved due to TA, with no appreciable side-effects.