BACKGROUND Partially resecting ribs of the recipient site to facilitate easy anastomosis of the internal mammary vessels to free flaps during breast reconstruction can cause chest wall pain or deformities. To avoid this, the intercostal perforating branches of the internal mammary vessels can be used for anastomosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate the location and size of the inte...

SUMMARY Internal mammary (IM) lymph nodes may be exposed during recipient vessel preparation in free-flap breast reconstruction, and in rare cases, positivity of these nodes may affect treatment in patients with breast cancer. This systematic review examines the incidence and significance of IM nodes identified by plastic surgeons. Eligibility criteria included free-flap breast reconstruction w...

The lymphatics lying along the internal thoracic artery and vein, which are termed the "internal mammary lymphatics" (IML), were minutely dissected in 134 adult cadavers (80 males and 54 females, aged 27-94 years) in order to clarify the configuration of IML in the superior mediastinum. On the right side, IML frequently terminated at the brachiocephalic angle (BA) nodes and often at the nodes s...

The introduction of the sentinel lymph node (SLN) concept and its biopsy have deeply changed the management of many cancers [1,2]. The SLN is defined as the first LN to which cancer cell are most likely to spread from a primary tumour; in cT1-T2 breast cancer patients, the axillary (Ax) SLN biopsy is now considered the standard of care for staging clinically node-negative patients [3]. The AxLN...

BACKGROUND The internal mammary (IM) lymph node chain, along with the axillary nodal basin, is a first-echelon breast lymphatic draining site. A growing body of evidence supports irradiation of this region in node-positive breast cancer. This study evaluated the effectiveness of radiotherapy in treating magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected abnormal IM lymph nodes in newly-diagnosed non-met...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency of step-serial sectioning (SSS) combined with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining in detecting micrometastasis of internal mammary lymph nodes (IMLNs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: 135 IMLNs from 88 breast cancer patients were re-examined by SSS, combined with either H&E or IHC staining of the biomarkers cyt...

UNLABELLED There is great variation in the reported frequency of internal mammary (IM) sentinel node (SN) visualization. We observed a marked increase in our IM SN detection rate after 2 factors were changed simultaneously: depth of perilesional injection and dose. METHODS A retrospective review of 82 consecutive patients (group 1) was compared with 61 consecutive patients (group 2) after cha...

497 procedure, since it enables the quicker recovery of sensation and aids in the prevention of the development of cold intolerance and discomfort. Of the many options available for reconstructing moderately sized to large defects of the palm of the hand and fingers, an innervated free groin flap combines a maximally concealed donor area with functional sensory recovery. It was this combination...