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Anatomical variants during axillary dissection
M A Kutiyanawala1, A Stotter, R Windle
1Department of General Surgery Glenfield General Hospital, Leicester, UK.
The British Journal of Surgery
|April 8, 1998
Abstract
Background:
This study was done to document the variations encountered in the anatomy of the axilla because of the difficulty they can cause during dissection.
Methods:
A record was made of the anatomy of the axilla in 100 patients with breast cancer who had an axillary dissection.
Results:
The variants from the described normal included double axillary veins, abnormal bands of muscle from the latissimus dorsi stretching across the axilla and a medial lying thoracodorsal nerve.
Conclusion:
Damage to important structures in the axilla during axillary dissection can be minimized with an awareness of the possible anatomical variations.