Vacuum-assisted minimally invasive surgery—An innovative method for the operative treatment of gynecomastia

Abstract Background Gynecomastia is the most common benign enlargement of the mammary gland and adipose tissue in males. Because a feminine-looking chest contour can bring severe psychologic burden to patients, subcutaneous mastectomy has become the standard treatment for this condition. Conventional open surgery causes conspicuous scarring that may affect the appearance of the breast. We provide a novel surgical operative for the treatment of gynecomastia. Method With approval from our institutional ethics committee and written informed consent, 22 patients with 33 abnormally hyperplastic breasts were enrolled at The First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University between June 2016 and September 2018. Vacuum-assisted minimally invasive surgery was performed under general anesthesia. Patients were followed up with physical examination and ultrasonography. Result Vacuum-assisted minimally invasive mastectomy was performed successfully in all cases, with no residual glands or adipose tissue observed on ultrasonography. The operation had a mean duration of 73.5 minutes per side, ranging from 40 to 102 minutes. An average of 320 specimens were excised from each side with mean blood loss of 34 mL. Of these 33 operative sides, 2 complications occurred, but satisfactory chest contour was attained eventually in all patients. All patients were satisfied with their cosmetic outcome, graded as excellent by 22 patients (100%). Redundant skin was observed in 1 patient at 1 month postoperatively, whose breast, defined as graded III, was the largest before operation. Conclusion Vacuum-assisted, minimally invasive mastectomy is a feasible approach for the treatment of gynecomastia with acceptable complications.