Effect of Intercostal Nerve Coaptation on Postoperative Pain in Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction: A Double-Blind, Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Patients undergoing breast surgery may experience chronic postoperative pain in the breasts, upper extremities, and axillary regions, and no established methods for preventing this pain are available at present. This study aimed to investigate whether coaptation of the transected intercostal nerve can prevent the development of neuropathic and chronic breast pain after mastectomy in implant-based breast reconstruction.
Methods: A prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial was conducted by dividing patients who underwent implant-based breast reconstruction after mastectomy into a control group without nerve coaptation and an experimental group with nerve coaptation. Patient clinical information was collected, and a survey using the pain and quality of life scale was conducted at 6 and 12 months after surgery.
Results: Fifteen patients completed the study, including seven in the control group and eight in the experimental group. The two groups showed no significant differences in terms of clinical factors. The experimental group exhibited lower Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire scores than the control group at 6 and 12 months postoperatively, with a statistically significant difference at 6 months. Numerical Rating Scale and Present Pain Intensity scores for both groups were in the "no to mild" range throughout the study period, with no statistically significant differences between the groups. Although the difference in the BREAST-Q™ results did not reach statistical significance, the experimental group showed an improvement in the quality of life.
Conclusion: Intercostal nerve coaptation after mastectomy in implant-based breast reconstruction may facilitate initial nerve recovery. Although trial results are needed to fully determine the clinical impact, our findings support the ongoing scientific and clinical efforts to use this technique.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Breast Cancer (abbreviated as ''J Breast Cancer'') is the official journal of the Korean Breast Cancer Society, which is issued quarterly in the last day of March, June, September, and December each year since 1998. All the contents of the Journal is available online at the official journal website (http://ejbc.kr) under open access policy. The journal aims to provide a forum for the academic communication between medical doctors, basic science researchers, and health care professionals to be interested in breast cancer. To get this aim, we publish original investigations, review articles, brief communications including case reports, editorial opinions on the topics of importance to breast cancer, and welcome new research findings and epidemiological studies, especially when they contain a regional data to grab the international reader''s interest. Although the journal is mainly dealing with the issues of breast cancer, rare cases among benign breast diseases or evidence-based scientifically written articles providing useful information for clinical practice can be published as well.
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