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Table 2 Clinicopathological factors of patient who underwent total mastectomy with sentinel node retrieval or total mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection (Ax I, II, and III)

From: Impact of the surgical modality for axillary lymph node dissection on postoperative drainage and seroma formation after total mastectomy

Factor

Group

Total mastectomy

Sentinel node retrieval

Total mastectomy

Axillary lymph node dissection

p-value

Number of patients

 

33

169

 
 

mean (sd)

mean (sd)

 

Age mean (sd) years

 

69.6 (11.8)

61.9 (11.4)

0.05

Body mass index

 

22.3 (3.1)

23.2 (4.1)

 

Side of the tumor (%)

Left

13 (39.4)

78 (46.2)

< 0.001

Right

20 (60.6)

91 (53.8)

0.019

Preoperative chemotherapy (%)

No

33 (100.0)

161 (95.3)

0.013

Yes

0 (0.0)

8 (4.7)

0.057

Number of lymph nodes retrieved

 

2.91 (1.59)

14.28 (7.13)

0.302

Number of metastatic lymph nodes

 

0.27 (0.63)

1.86 (3.86)

< 0.001

Weight of specimen

 

344.8 (159.9)

449.3 (228.6)

< 0.001

Size of tumor

 

24.2 (17.4)

30.4 (16.8)

0.057

Stage (TMN)

1

16 (48.5)

60 (35.5)

0.534

2

16 (48.5)

94 (55.6)

 

3

1 (3.0)

13 (7.7)

 

4

0 (0.0)

2 (1.2)

 

Drainage

No

9 (27.3)

0 (0.0)

< 0.001

Yes

24 (72.7)

169 (100.0)

 

Volume of drainage during 1 week

 

312.1 (153.4)

588.3 (279.4)

< 0.001

Total fluid discharge volume

 

333.1 (262.1)

1456.3 (817.4)

< 0.001

Drainage volume the day before drain removal

 

15.50 (9.10)

19.05 (9.61)

0.05

Post-operative day of drain removal

 

8.4 (4.23)

14.2 (6.24)

< 0.001

Seroma formation

No

27 (81.8)

136 (80.5)

1

Yes

6 (18.2)

33 (19.5)

 

Number

0

26 (78.8)

136 (80.5)

 

1

0 (0.0)

19 (11.2)

 

2

3 (9.1)

6 (3.6)

 

3

3 (9.1)

3 (1.8)

 

4

1 (3.0)

4 (2.4)

 

6

0 (0.0)

1 (0.6)

 

Surgical modality

 Group D

 

7 (21.2)

46 (27.2)

0.21

 Group A

 

11 (33.3)

74 (43.8)

 

 Group B

 

15 (45.5)

49 (29.0)

 

Prolonged fluid discharge

No

29 (87.9)

117 (69.2)

0.033

Yes

4 (12.1)

52 (30.8)

 

Hospital stay

Days

14.0 (5.1)

22.3 (7.2)

< 0.001

Complications

 seroma infection extirpation of seroma by surgery (re-drainage)

 

1

0

 

 re-drainage

 

0

2

 

 infection

 

0

2

 

 bleeding

 

0

1

 

 flap necrosis

 

0

0

 

Lymph edema of upper limbs (%)

No

33 (100.0)

149 (88.2)

0.05

Yes

0 (0.0)

20 (11.8)

 
  1. Prolonged fluid discharge: prolonged drainage or seroma formation after the 20th operative day or later
  2. Group D: skin flap formation by electrocautery and axillary lymph node dissection by picking up using forceps and ligation (Surgeon D)
  3. Group A: skin flap formation by electrocautery and axillary lymph node dissection by electrocautery with ligation of the arteries and veins (Surgeons A, C and E)
  4. Group B: skin flap formation by electrocautery and axillary lymph node dissection by ultrasonic dissector without ligating the vessels (Surgeon B)