ArticleBJS open2023
Effect of different quilting techniques on seroma formation after breast surgery: retrospective study.
Article in BJS open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Quilting sutures versus conventional closure after modified radical mastectomy with axillary dissection: a GRADE-assessed systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials with pre-specified subgroups by quilting extent.World journal of surgical oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Quilt technique after mastectomy: stepped-wedge randomized cluster trial showing superior textbook outcome and reduced healthcare utilization.The British journal of surgery · 2025Trial
- From Evidence to Practice: Quilting for Seroma Prevention After Mastectomy and Surgeons' Acceptance.Cureus · 2025Article
- The Combination of Chest Wall Perforator Flaps and Surgeon-Performed Breast Ultrasound: An Effective Synergy to Expand the Boundaries of Breast-Conserving Surgery.Annals of surgical oncology · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundQuilting, a technique in which skin flaps are sutured to the underlying muscle, reduces seroma after mastectomy and/or axillary lymph node dissection. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of different quilting techniques on the formation of clinically significant seroma.
methodsThis was a retrospective study including patients undergoing mastectomy and/or axillary lymph node dissection. Four breast surgeons applied the quilting technique based on their own discretion. Technique 1 was performed using Stratafix in 5-7 rows placed at 2-3 cm distance. Technique 2 was performed using Vicryl 2-0 in 4-8 rows placed at 1.5-2 cm distance. Technique 3 was performed using Vicryl 0/1 in 3 rows placed at 3-4 cm distance. Technique 4 was performed using Vicryl 0 in 4-5 rows placed at 1.5 cm distance. The primary outcome was clinically significant seroma.
resultsA total of 445 patients were included. Clinically significant seroma incidence was 4.1 per cent (six of 147) for technique 1, which was significantly lower than that for the other techniques (25.0 per cent (29 of 116), 29.4 per cent (32 of 109), and 33 per cent (24 of 73) for techniques 2, 3, and 4 (P < 0.001) respectively). The duration of surgery was not significantly longer for technique 1 compared with the other three techniques. The length of hospital stay, number of additional visits to the outpatient clinic, and reoperations did not differ significantly between the four techniques.
conclusionQuilting using Stratafix and placing 5-7 rows with 2-3 cm distance between the stitches associates with low clinically significant seroma incidence without adverse effects.
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