Early and late postoperative sequelae after surgery for carcinoma of the breast

During a 4-year period, the authors performed 621 operations on 606 patients, suffering from carcinoma of the breast. The types of operations and their indications are described. Early postoperative complications of all kind appeared in only 6%, while lymphorrhoea and lymphocele were noted in 30% of the cases. Systematic measurements for early arm swelling indicate a fifty-fifty range. Follow-up study on 379 patients reveals the minor incidence of 8,9% of chronic lymphoedema. No statistic relationship between early swelling of the arm and chronic lymphoedema can be recognized.