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Venous anomalies of the axilla: a single-institution experience

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Abstract

Aim

Surgical treatment is still the cornerstone in the treatment of breast cancer, a very common neoplasia, particularly affecting the female elderly population. Axillary dissection is crucial in the treatment of some tumours, but variations in axillary vessels anatomy are poorly described in standard anatomy and surgical textbook. We aimed to describe anatomical variations in axillary vessels found in our institutional experience.

Patients and methods

A prospective 3-year study was conducted in our institution from January 2012 to December 2014. Sixty-one consecutive axillary lymph node dissections (ALNDs) were performed in 61 patients who underwent surgery for stage II and III invasive breast cancer. Anatomical details of axillary vascular anatomy and its variations have been evaluated, described and stored in a prospective database.

Results

Sixty-one ALNDs have been performed in the study period. The anatomy of lateral thoracic vein, angular vein and axillary vein was studied and compared with standard anatomical description. Eighteen percentage of venous variations were found out of the 61 dissection performed.

Conclusions

Vascular anatomy of axilla is complex and variable. A better knowledge of all possible variations might be helpful in preventing injuries during ALND.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Viviana Sollazzo, Gaetano Luglio, Emanuela Esposito, Rosa Di Micco, Mariano Cesare Giglio, Roberto Peltrini, Pietro Schettino, Bruno Amato, Giovanni Domenico De Palma & Gennaro Limite

Authors
  1. Viviana Sollazzo
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  2. Gaetano Luglio
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  3. Emanuela Esposito
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  4. Rosa Di Micco
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  5. Mariano Cesare Giglio
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  6. Roberto Peltrini
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  7. Pietro Schettino
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  8. Bruno Amato
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  9. Giovanni Domenico De Palma
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  10. Gennaro Limite
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Viviana Sollazzo.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.

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Sollazzo, V., Luglio, G., Esposito, E. et al. Venous anomalies of the axilla: a single-institution experience. Aging Clin Exp Res 29 (Suppl 1), 139–142 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0673-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-016-0673-8

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