COMPLICATIONS OF MASTECTOMY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO BIOPSY TECHNIQUE

Background: Wound complication rates after mastectomy are associated w ith several factors, but little information is available correlating b iopsy technique with the development of postmastectomy wound complicat ions. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy is an accurate method to est ablish a diagnosis, but it is unknown whether this approach has an imp act on complications after mastectomy. Methods: Charts of 283 patients undergoing 289 mastectomies were reviewed to investigate any associat ion between biopsy technique and postmastectomy complications. Results : The diagnosis of breast cancer was made by FNA biopsy in 50%, open b iopsy in 49.7%, and core needle biopsy in 0.3%. The overall wound infe ction rate was 5.3% (14 of 266), but only 1.6% when FNA biopsy was use d compared with 6.9% with open biopsy (p = 0.06). Among 43 patients un dergoing breast reconstruction concomitantly with mastectomy, the infe ction rate was 7.1% (0% after FNA, 12% after open biopsy). Neither the development of a postoperative seroma (9.8%) nor skin flap necrosis ( 5.6%) was influenced by the biopsy technique used. Conclusions: These data suggest that wound infections after mastectomy may be reduced whe n the diagnosis of breast cancer is established by FNA biopsy.