Objective To perform data-driven, assisted prediction of health insurance reimbursement ratios for the major thoracic surgery group in CHS-DRG, in addition to providing an optional solution for health insurance providers and medical institutions to accurately and effectively predict the references of health insurance payments for the patient group. Methods Using the information on major thoracic surgery cases from a large tertiary hospital in Sichuan province in 2020 as a sample, 70% of the total dataset was used as a training dataset and 30% as a test dataset. This data was used to predict health insurance spending through a multiple linear regression model and an improved machine learning method that is based on feature selection. Results When the number of filtered features was the same via three machine learning methods including random forest, logistic regression, and support vector machine, there was no significant difference in the prediction effectiveness. The model with the best prediction effect had an accuracy of 78.96%, sensitivity of 83.93%, specificity of 71.27%, precision of 0.818 8, AUC value of 0.841 4, and a Kappa value of 0.610 8. Conclusion The basic characteristics such as the number of disease diagnoses and surgical operations, as well as the age of patients affect the reimbursement ratio. The cost of materials, drugs, and treatments has a greater impact on the reimbursement ratio. The combined method of feature selection and machine learning outperforms traditional statistical linear models. When dealing with a larger dataset that has many features, selecting the right number can enhance the prediction ability and efficiency of the model.
Latissimus dorsi muscle flap (LDMF) is an important autogenous tissue for autogenous breast reconstruction after mastectomy. LDMF harvesting using a conventional open method is traumatic, and the scar is obvious. With the application of minimally invasive technology in various surgical fields, endoscopic and robotic technology for breast surgery, especially LDMF breast reconstruction, is also becoming mature. Endoscopic or robotic LDMF breast reconstruction has the advantages of no incision in the back, superior cosmetic effect of back, clear vision of surgical field, and low incidence of postoperative complications. It is a safe and effective method of breast reconstruction.
Objective To review the research progress related to endoscopic surgery and robotic surgery for breast diseases, aiming to provide references for clinical practice. Methods The recent domestic and international literature on endoscopic surgery and robotic surgery for breast diseases was reviewed, then the challenges in their development, the innovative evolution of endoscopic surgery combined with clinical practice by our team, and its clinical applications were summarized. ResultsTraditional endoscopic surgery, despite its advantages such as minimal invasiveness, good cosmetic outcomes, and high patient’s satisfaction, has been limited in its development due to specific difficulties in establishing the operative field. Our team innovatively proposed the “reverse sequence method” and the Huaxi Hole 1 theory and methods, cleverly altering the surgical procedure sequence, adding small operative orifices to transform single-port operations into multi-port ones, effectively overcoming the challenges restricting the advancement of endoscopic surgery in the field of breast diseases, thereby enabling further proliferation of endoscopic procedures. In terms of breast endoscopic reconstruction surgery, the parachute patch technique has broadened the indications for reconstruction surgery, benefiting patients with a certain degree of breast ptosis; and the postoperative adjustment concept, through early intervention in the post-reconstruction breast shape, has further refined the reconstruction procedure. Robot-assisted surgery derived from endoscopic surgery theory has further enhanced the precision and stability of surgeries, reducing surgical risks; however, excessive time and economic costs are urgent issues that must be addressed. Conclusion Through theoretical innovations, endoscopic surgery has been applied in the excision and reconstruction of breast lesions, while robotic surgery shows promising applications in autologous breast reconstruction, especially in the latissimus dorsi reconstruction field. Nevertheless, the lack of high-level large-sample, multi-center randomized controlled clinical trials to confirm its surgical safety, oncological safety, and postoperative cosmetic outcomes is an important direction for future research.
Objective To explore the surgical technique and preliminary safety and aesthetic results of endoscopic removal of injectable Amazingel with/without immediate prepectoral implant-based breast augmentation for patients. MethodsThe clinical data of 25 patients who underwent endoscopic removal of injectable Amazingel with/without immediate prepectoral implant-based breast augmentation between April 2020 and January 2024 and met the selection criteria was retrospective analysed. The patients’ age ranged from 33 to 73 years, with a mean of 50.4 years, and the body mass index ranged from 16.8 to 26.6 kg/m2, with a mean of 21.5 kg/m2. They were all bilaterally injected with Amazingel, and the time between initial injections and surgery ranged from 17 to 26 years, with a mean of 21.4 years. Early safety was evaluated by the incidence of early postoperative complications, and early aesthetic results were evaluated using Harris scores (including breast shape satisfaction, sensation satisfaction, and elasticity satisfaction) at 3 months after operation. Results There were 9 cases underwent Amazingel removal (group A) and 16 cases underwent Amazingel removal with immediate prepectoral implant-based breast augmentation (group B). Intraoperative removal of Amazingel ranged from 808 to 1 285 mL, with a mean of 1 050.7 mL; the mass of the capsule removed ranged from 36 to 169 g, with a mean of 103.6 g; and a gross anatomical prosthesis was used with a median size of 345 mL (range, 315-355 mL). The operation time ranged from 95 to 395 minutes, with a mean of 194.2 minutes; and the cost of the procedure ranged from 8000to 91 000 yuan, with a mean of 33 000 yuan. Patients had a median follow-up time of 22.7 months (range, 3.0-48.1 months). There was 1 case of intraoperative skin burn due to the operation of the electric scalpel, which healed naturally after operation without flap necrosis. There was no adverse conditions such as prosthesis outline showing, ripple sign, and capsular contracture during follow-up; a small amount of Amazingel residue was found in 2 patients at 1 year after operation. The Harris score at 3 months after operation was used to evaluate the early aesthetic results, and the breast shape, elasticity, and sensation satisfaction of group A were lower than group B, but the differences between the two groups were not significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Endoscopic removal of injectable Amazingel with/without immediate prepectoral implant-based breast augmentation is safe in the early stage with good aesthetic results, and it is also recommended that patients who had the indications for combined immediate breast augmentation after removal to rebuild the breast appearance.
ObjectiveTo explore the application and effectiveness of three-pedicle reduction mammoplasty in breast cancer patients with moderate or greater breast hypertrophy and/or moderate-to-severe breast ptosis. Methods The clinical data of 15 breast cancer female patients with hypertrophy and/or moderate-to-severe breast ptosis treated by three-pedicle reduction mammaplasty with inverted T incision between January 2019 and March 2021 were retrospectively analysed. The patients were aged 31-58 years, with a median age of 39 years. The disease duration ranged from 10 days to 9 months (median, 3.4 months). All patients had unifocal tumor, with a maximum diameter of primary tumor of 0.5-3.9 cm (mean, 2.0 cm), of which 12 were diagnosed with invasive carcinoma and 3 carcinoma in situ. Tumor stage: TisN0M0 in 3 cases, T1N0M0 in 4 cases, T1N2M0 in 2 cases, T2N0M0 in 4 cases, and T2N1M0 in 2 cases. The preoperative cup sizes of patients were D cup in 3 cases, DD cup in 1 case, E cup in 2 cases, EE cup in 2 cases, F cup in 2 cases, FF cup in 1 case, and ≥G cup in 4 cases. The distance from nipple to inframammary fold was 8-18 cm (mean, 12.2 cm) before operation. The patients were followed up regularly after operation to evaluate the breast reduction effect and complications; Breast cancer reporting outcome scale (BREAST-Q) was used to assess patients’ satisfaction and quality of life; and ultrasound, chest and abdominal CT, whole-body bone scan were performed to assess local tumor recurrence or distant metastasis. Results The postoperative nipple position was slightly higher than inframammary fold in all patients. Postoperative cup sizes were A cup in 3 cases, B cup in 6, C cup in 4, D cup in 1, and DD cup in 1, which showing significant difference when compared with preoperative cup sizes (Z=3.420, P=0.001). The median follow-up time was 9 months (range, 6-33 months). Postoperatively, 2 cases (13.3%) had wound-site cellulitis, 1 (6.7%) had mild fat liquefaction, 2 (13.3%) had nipple and areola hypoesthesia but recovered after 3 months. No complication such as fat necrosis, papillary areola complex, or flap necrosis occurred. All patients had undergone adjuvant radiotherapy, of which 1 (6.7%) showed mild skin color change after radiotherapy, but no radiotherapy-related complication occurred in all patients. No patient was readmitted, received reoperation, or delayed to adjuvant therapy due to complications. In the BREAST-Q score, breast satisfaction and quality of life scores at 3 and 6 months after operation were significantly better than those before operation and at 1 month after operation (P<0.05); no significant difference was found between at 1 month after operation and before operation (P>0.05). Nipple satisfaction scores at 1, 3, and 6 months after operation were 15.6±2.2, 18.5±1.4, 19.3±0.7, respectively. At discharge after operation, the patient’s satisfaction with the outcome of the operation was scored 84.7±11.4. The score of adverse events of radiotherapy at 6 months after operation was 6.5±0.8. During the follow-up, patient had no local recurrence, distant metastasis, or breast cancer related death. Conclusion For breast cancer patients with moderate or greater breast hypertrophy and/or moderate-to-severe breast ptosis, three-pedicle reduction mammoplasty can not only remove the lesions, but also reduce hypertrophic breasts, accomplish the mammoplasty, reduce the radiotherapy complications, and improve the satisfaction and quality of life of patients.
ObjectiveTo compare the differences of clinical effects between the bilateral endoscopic breast reconstruction and the open breast reconstruction. MethodsThe clinical data of 28 female patients who underwent bilateral breast graft reconstruction in the Department of Breast Surgery of West China Hospital from January 2017 to January 2021 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into two groups: an endoscopic group (n=12, aged 41.3±8.9 years) and an open group (n=16, aged 41.6±8.8 years). The clinical data of the two groups of patients were compared. Results There was no significant difference in demographic and oncological data between the two groups (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in the implants between the two groups (P=0.008). The operation time (298.2±108.6 min vs. 326.5±95.8 min, P=0.480) and anesthesia time (373.4±91.2 min vs. 400.3±97.1 min, P=0.463) were not significantly different. The total complications (P=0.035) and major complications (P=0.024) in the open group were more than those in the endoscopic group. For the comparison of breast satisfaction, psychosocial well-being and sexual well-being, the scores at six months and one year after surgery were higher in the endoscopic group than those in the open group (P<0.05). ConclusionThe endoscopic reconstruction is safe and effective, with high satisfaction rates regarding breast reconstruction and quality of life, and is superior to conventional open surgery.
ObjectiveTo explore the surgical technique and clinical effect of endoscopic assisted transaxillary breast tumor resection in the treatment of benign and malignant breast tumors. MethodsThe clinical data of 18 patients received endoscopic breast tumor resection from September 2020 to December 2021 in the Department of Breast Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the feasibility, tumor safety and postoperative cosmetic effect. There were 7 patients with benign breast tumors (a benign breast tumor group) and 11 patients with early breast cancer (a malignant breast tumor group). Breast-Q and Scar-Q questionnaires were used to evaluate postoperative quality of life and satisfaction of patients. ResultsEndoscopic breast tumor resection was performed successfully in 18 female patients, among whom 12 patients received day surgery. The mean age of benign and malignant breast tumor groups was 29.6±11.6 years and 46.7±14.3 years, the mean tumor size in pathological examination was 3.3±2.1 cm and 2.0±0.8 cm, and the operative time was 138.9±57.0 min and 177.3±46.3 min, respectively. One patient had positive resection margin and underwent intraoperative extended resection in the malignant breast tumor group. All the patients were successfully followed up, and the mean follow-up time of benign and malignant breast tumor groups was 6.8±4.0 months and 8.7±4.9 months, respectively. No complications or tumor recurrence occurred. The scores of psychosocial status, sexual well-being, chest wall status and breast satisfaction decreased one month after surgery and basically recovered to the preoperative level in one year, and the score of scar appearance increased to 64.6±5.9 points one year postoperatively. ConclusionEndoscopic assisted transaxillary breast tumor resection can effectively improve postoperative cosmetic effect and patient satisfaction on the premise of safety.
ObjectiveTo explore the surgical technique and preliminary results of endoscopic nipple-sparing mastectomy (E-NSM) and immediate pre-pectoral implant-based breast reconstruction (BR) with titanium-coated polypropylene mesh (TiLoop Bra) via single axillary incision for breast cancer patients.MethodsThe clinical data of 9 consecutive female patients who underwent E-NSM and immediate pre-pectoral implant-based BR with TiLoop Bra from March to May 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The mean age of patients was 40.6 (22-60) years. The operation time, early complications were collected, and the patients' social and mental health, breast satisfaction and chest function before and after the operation were assessed with the BREAST-Q questionnaire.ResultsAll the patients had unicentric tumor with a mean diameter of 2.4 (0.6-4.7) cm. The mean distance from the tumor to the nipple was 2.5 (2-4) cm. There were 2 patients with tumor stage 0 and 7 patients with stageⅠ. The mean operation time was 161.1 (125-201) min, the mean blood loss was 41.1 mL and the hospital stay time was 1.5 d. There were 5 patients in the day-care unit. All the patients were successfully followed up with a median follow-up time of 1 (1-2) month. One (11.1%) patient with depigmentation of the nipple-areola complex caused by mild ischemia. None of the patients had incision complications, subcutaneous emphysema, hematoma, infection, nipple-areola or skin flaps necrosis, implant loss. During the follow-up period, no local/regional recurrence or distant metastasis was found. Chest well-being was decreased in the first month after the surgery compared with preoperative status, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.001). There was no statistical difference in the breast satisfaction or psychosocial function scores between pre- and post-operation (P>0.05).ConclusionE-NSM and immediate pre-pectoral implant-based BR with TiLoop Bra via single axillary incision has minimal trauma, rapid postoperative recovery, short operation time, few early complications and good early cosmetic effect, and the short-term result is satisfactory.
The traditional view is that breast reconstruction is not an option for day surgery center. As a result, few hospitals in the world conduct this operation in day surgery center. Endoscopic breast reconstruction with liposuction and robot-assisted breast reconstruction are minimally invasive surgeries for breast cancer patients, but they cannot be carried out in the day surgery center due to long operation time. The novel endoscopic-assisted immediate implant-based breast reconstruction after nipple sparing mastectomy through a single axillary incision for breast cancer patients has been successfully conducted in the day surgery center in our hospital due to short operation time and small trauma. Standardized management of the complete process from the patient selection to follow-up after discharge brings rapid recovery and few complications. At the same time, the development of endoscopic surgery makes the breast almost scarless and improves aesthetic results. Therefore, the mode of endoscopic-assisted reconstruction in the day surgery center of our hospital is expected to be popularized in the whole country.