A retrospective quantitative assessment of breast sensation after lateral pedicle mammaplasty

Preservation of sensitivity is one of the important objectives in reduction mammaplasty. The lateral or medial pedicle reduction mammaplasty technique aims to maintain superficial innervation of the breast. These superficial nerves are smaller and more variable compared with deep and larger nerve structures, which are excised during this procedure. An assessment of recovery of tactile sensitivity after lateral pedicle mammaplasty was performed retrospectively. One hundred and one women, operated on between the year 1985 and 2000, with a lateral pedicle mammaplasty, were reviewed. Using a standardised questionnaire, women reported on subjective changes in sensation after surgery, including time of recovery and the influence which surgery had on sensual function. Fifty-nine of these women were tested 3–7 years after surgery. Touch sensitivity was measured using a set of 20 Semmes-Weinstein monofilaments. Erectile function was also tested. The mean pressure threshold for the areola region was 19.12 g/mm2 and for the nipple 16.75 g/mm2, which is better that in studies on inferior pedicle mammaplasty. In previous studies patients were tested earlier, which may explain this difference. No correlation was found between sensitivity and resected tissue (for the areola p=0.88 and for the nipple p=0.82) or between sensitivity and age of patients (for the areola p=0.73 and for the nipple p=0.80). There were individual differences in the results. It is speculated that variability in anatomy of superficial nerves might explain these differences. Nearly all patients tested regained their erectile function. The majority of patients did not notice any change in their erogenous function. Twelve (12%) reported a post-surgical improvement of sensation. Nipples with partial loss of sensation persisted in 2% of the patients.