Suphakan TechapongsatornWisit KasetsermviriyaSatit SrimantayamasVasin ChotivanichAnan Manomaipiboon2011-02-222011-02-222010-01-132010-01-13Vajira Medical Journal; Vol. 51 No. 2 May - August 2007; 87-94http://imsear.searo.who.int/handle/123456789/133175Abstract A Comparative Study between Compressible Brassiere and Conventional Pressure Dressing for Seroma Prevention after Mastectomy in Breast Cancer Suphakan   Techapongsatorn          MD, FICS Wisit           Kasetsermviriya            MD Satit           Srimantayamas              MD Vasin          Chotivanich                     MD Anan         Manomaipiboon               MD, MSc, FICS Department of Surgery, BMA Medical College and Vajira Hospital Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness between compressible brassiere without axillary compression and conventional pressure dressing for seroma prevention after mastectomy in breast cancer. Study design: Prospective, randomized controlled trial. Subjects: A total of 56 female patients with breast cancer managed by modified radical mastectomy in BMA Medical College and Vajira Hospital during December 2004 to October 2005 were enrolled. They were divided into two groups. First, conventional dressing was applied in 29 patients as control group. Second, compressible brassiere without axillary compression was applied in 27 patients as study group. Methods: All subjects were randomly assigned into two groups after surgical wound closing. Surgeons and the patients never knew the dressing techniques until finishing the operation. Patients' characteristics, clinical data, intra-operative data and outcomes were collected and analysed. Main outcome measures: Occurrence of seroma, amount of drainage serum, length of hospital stay after operation and other post-operative wound complications. Results: Patients' characteristics, clinical data and intra-operative data were not different significantly between two groups. Amount of drainage serum, length of hospital stay and occurrence of seroma in control group and study group were 725.0 ± 511.6 ml vs 774.3 ± 535.6, 9.3 ± 5.4 days vs 11.1 ± 4.9 days and 4/29 vs 6/27 patients (p-value \> 0.05). These final outcomes were not different significantly too. Conclusion: Pressure dressing with compressible brassiere without axillary compression after modified radical mastectomy in breast cancer could not reduce seroma, drainage serum and length of hospital stay. Vajira Med J 2007 ; 51 : 87 - 94en-USFaculty of Medicine, Vajira Hospital, University of Bangkok Metropolis, Bangkok, ThailandOriginal Articles