Seroma After Bilateral Mastectomy?

asked 1 year ago by Sully123 in Mount Pleasant, SC
Latest answer by Leif Liu Rogers, MD
Question viewed 420 times
Tags: mastectomy, seroma

Bilateral mast.on 4/5. Expanders were placed, implants removed from previous breast aug.There was enough skin for implant on left but not enough for the right,so PS placed expanders in both.Drains for 8 days,removed at 20cc. Now the left breast has seroma. I have an appoint in 3 days for my 1st expansion, and am concerned about the amount of fluid(a lot). PS says it will resolve and help in the expansion. Is this right since the expansion in under muscle, and there already is enough skin?Help!

6 answers to Seroma After Bilateral Mastectomy?

Seroma with Tissue Expander

It depends on how much fluid there is. Your surgeon can help determine this (ask for an estimate in cc). If it's a relatively small amount it will resolve on its own. If its a large amount, aspiration may be beneficial. It can be tricky to aspirate a seroma with an implant or TE in place. Care must be taken to not damage the implant/TE. This is a relatively straight forward problem that I'm sure your surgeon can manage if he does a fair amount of... more

Leif Liu Rogers, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.leifrogersmd.com

Seroma after mastectomy

Dear Sully, Don't worry. Seroma after mastectomy is common. It may be that while the seroma is present, that your surgeon will not perform expansion. You are right that the seroma will only be helping to keep the skin expanded and as the seroma settles, you will still need to have your expander filled to stretch the submuscular space where your definitive implant will be placed (assuming that you are having a two-stage reconstruction). My main worry in this... more

Jonathan J Staiano, MBBS
Birmingham Plastic Surgeon

Seroma after Mastectomy

Seromas are collections of fluid that can occur after mastectomy surgery. They usually resolve with compression dressings and time. Occasionally they may require surgical drainage, or drainage with a needle. Sometimes it is reasonable to proceed with an expander which will occupy the potential space that the seroma would otherwise fill. So you may begin expansion even if a seroma is present. However, there may be a higher risk of infection. If... more

Fredrick A. Valauri, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

www.drvalauri.com

Breast reconstruction

Serums are one of the most common complications during breast reconstruction. Sometimes surgeons will proceed with the expansion depending on the size of the Seroma and the location.

David L. Abramson, MD
New York Plastic Surgeon

Seroma after mastectomy

Seromas are very common after mastectomy, and usually resolves. The exapansion does help by squeezing the tissue the fluid is forced into the tissue. the only concern it getting an infection before it completely resolves. In our patients we would aspirate the seroma if sizable and expand immediatley