title: Touch sensibility in the breast after subcutaneous mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis.
abstract: Touch sensibility was assessed with von Frey's monofilaments in the breasts of 10 healthy women (controls) and of 80 women with breast cancer who at least 1 year previously had undergone subcutaneous mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis. Touch thresholds were measured at nine positions on each breast. Low threshold values (< 3.2 mN) and good reproducibility were found in the controls. In the patients' surgically treated breasts normal (< 3.2 mN) or subnormal (< 20 mN) median threshold values were found outside the areola. Higher median values were noted on the areola and nipple; on the nipple, however, one third of the patients had normal sensibility while 14% lacked sensibility. The only factors found to influence the results were simultaneous subcutaneous reduction mammaplasty (lower touch thresholds) and the localisation of the incision (slightly lower thresholds for lazy-S than inframammary incision). These results confirm the clinical impression that touch sensibility is substantially retained after subcutaneous mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Karolinska Institute at Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Benediktsson
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perbeck
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geigant
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Solders
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001940:Breast / Q000503:physiopathology; D018427:Breast Implants; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000209:etiology*; D016462:Mammaplasty; D015414:Mastectomy, Subcutaneous / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009558:Nipples / Q000503:physiopathology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014110:Touch