| Title | Computer-assisted evaluation of nipple-areola complex sensibility in macromastia and following superolateral pedicle reduction mammaplasty: a statistical analysis. | | Author(s) | Santanelli F, Paolini G, Bittarelli D, Nofroni I | | Institution | Plastic Surgery Unit, Sant'Andrea Hospital, Second School of Medicine, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. santanelli@uniromal.it | | Source | Plast Reconstr Surg 2007 May; 119(6):1679-83. | | MeSH | Adult
Breast
Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hypertrophy
Mammaplasty
Middle Aged
Nipples
Postoperative Care
Preoperative Care
Probability
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors
Sensation
Sensory Thresholds
Statistics, Nonparametric
Treatment Outcome
| | Abstract | BACKGROUND: The authors performed a prospective study quantifying nipple-areola complex sensibility by computer-assisted neurosensory testing in breast hypertrophy before and after superolateral breast reduction.
METHODS: A superolateral pedicle breast reduction was performed on 30 macromastia patients. The mean age of the patients was 46 years. The cup sizes of the patients were as follows: D, 14 patients; E, 12 patients; and EE, four patients. Ptosis was 3 degrees in 12 and 4 degrees in 18; nipple elevation ranged from 4 to 18 cm; glandular resection ranged from 379 to 1850 g. Static and moving one- and two-point discrimination was tested preoperatively and 6 months postoperatively at the nipple-areola complex, evaluating the impact of breast hypertrophy (D versus E and EE cups), nipple elevation (<9 cm versus > or =9 cm), and glandular resection (<900 g versus > or =900 g).
RESULTS: Statistical analyses revealed preoperatively significant higher pressure thresholds in the nipple-areola complex of larger versus smaller hypertrophies and in the nipple of longer nipple-areola complex transposition breasts for static and moving one-point discrimination. Postoperatively, worsening of sensibility was more significant in the nipple-areola complex of smaller versus larger hypertrophies and of shorter versus longer nipple-areola complex transposition breasts for moving one-point discrimination.
CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms that macromastia patients present a reduced breast sensibility, which is not necessarily worsened by reduction mammaplasty. After reduction mammaplasty with the superolateral pedicle technique, nipple-areola complex sensibility might be slightly reduced, which is less detectable in large-breast hypertrophy because of lower preoperative levels of sensibility and less of a postoperative decrease. | | Language | eng | | Pub Type(s) | Comparative Study
Journal Article
| | PubMed ID | 17440341 |
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