Feasibility of the internal mammary lymph node flap as a vascularized lymph node transfer: A cadaveric dissection study.
BACKGROUND
We performed cadaveric dissections to examine the feasibility of an internal mammary-based lymph node flap as a donor site for vascularized lymph node transfer.


METHODS
Internal mammary vessels and adjacent nodes were dissected in ten fresh cadaver specimens. Surgeon inspection and palpation identified the number of nodes in the specimen. Specimens were examined macro- and microscopically by a pathologist for correlation of lymph node counts. Kappa statistic correlated surgeon- and pathologist-reported node counts.


RESULTS
Surgeon- and pathologist-reported node counts were moderately correlated (kappa 0.57). Inspection and palpation correctly predicted node presence or absence in 80% of specimens. Sixty percent of flaps contained between 1 and 3 nodes, with a mean of 2.0 nodes when nodes were present.


CONCLUSIONS
Inspection and palpation predicts the presence or absence of nodes in 80% of flaps. Nodes were present in 60% of internal mammary-based flaps, and one to three nodes can be transferred. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microsurgery 36:485-490, 2016.
Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. christopher.pannucci@hsc.utah.edu.
Christopher J
CJ
Pannucci
Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Patrick A
PA
Gerety
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Amber R
AR
Wang
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Paul
P
Zhang
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Carolyn
C
Mies
Division of Plastic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Suhail K
SK
Kanchwala
D001940:Breast; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D058752:Free Tissue Flaps / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000637:transplantation*; D016462:Mammaplasty / Q000379:methods*