Talc seromadesis in patients with chronic seroma formation after breast surgery

Abstract

Background: Seroma formation, after breast surgery is a commonly seen complication with an incidence ranging from 10 to 85 %. In general, though seroma usually disappears within several weeks, some patients are troubled with chronic seroma. Seroma predisposes to infection leading to wound related complications and may also delay adjuvant chemoradiation, leading to less effective breast cancer treatment. Case description: A 52-years-old Dutch woman presenting with a pT3N1M0 infiltrating lobular breast carcinoma received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, following modified radical mastectomy with sentinel node procedure. She suffered from chronic seroma formation, delaying adjuvant radiation therapy. We successfully performed talc seromadesis to eliminate seroma formation. During six-month follow-up, no seroma was detected. Discussion and evaluation: Talc seromadesis after breast surgery is a rarely described in literature. In order to develop this technique further research aimed to evaluate its effectiveness on safety and possible later breast reconstruction must be carried out. Conclusion: Talc seromadesis may be a safe, cost effective and minimally invasive solution to treat chronic seroma after breast surgery.