Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42236868›Full record

ArticleAesthetic plastic surgery2026

Regional Anesthesia as Primary Strategy in Aesthetic Breast Augmentation Surgery: Clinical Outcomes in 627 Sedated Patients Undergoing Pectoral Nerves (PECS I-II) and Parasternal Blocks.

Di Lorenzo Sara, Andrea Pio Cascino, Scalisi Alfio, Pulvirenti Giuseppe, Corradino Bartolo

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Aesthetic plastic surgery, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Di Lorenzo SaraPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Precision Medicine in Medical, Surgical and Critical Care (Me.Pre.C.C.), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy.
Andrea Pio CascinoPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Precision Medicine in Medical, Surgical and Critical Care (Me.Pre.C.C.), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy.
Scalisi AlfioWell Surgery Clinic, Via Pietro Mascagni, 84, 95129, Catania, Italy.
Pulvirenti GiuseppeWell Surgery Clinic, Via Pietro Mascagni, 84, 95129, Catania, Italy.
Corradino BartoloPlastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Precision Medicine in Medical, Surgical and Critical Care (Me.Pre.C.C.), University of Palermo, Via del Vespro, 129, 90127, Palermo, Italy. bartolo.corradino@unipa.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1830-0530

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPost-operative pain after breast augmentation remains unpredictable, and regional anesthesia alone is seldom described. We evaluated an opioid-free protocol combining pectoral nerves (PECS I-II) and parasternal blocks with intravenous sedation.

methodsBetween January 2020 and December 2024, 627 women (mean age 35 y) underwent bilateral primary augmentation under ultrasound-guided fascial-plane blocks plus sedation. VAS pain scores were recorded at predefined intervals up to 72 h. Descriptive statistics, cubic modelling of pain trajectories and Kruskal-Wallis tests compared implant planes; cumulative pain was expressed as the 0-72 h area under the curve (AUC).

resultsMean VAS was < 2 in all groups by 72 h. Pain peaked at 16 h, highest with dual-plane placement (mean 7.0) and lower with submuscular and pre-pectoral placements (both ≈ 5.5; p < 0.001). Inter-group differences persisted to 48 h but disappeared by 72 h (p = 0.115). AUC confirmed the greatest pain burden for dual-plane (292 VAS·h) versus submuscular (238) and pre-pectoral (200). Implant volume showed only a weak overall correlation with pain (ρ = 0.20) and none within individual planes. No patient required rescue opioids; most resumed normal activities within four days, and no major complications occurred.

conclusionsUltrasound-guided PECS I-II and parasternal blocks with sedation provide safe, effective, opioid-free analgesia for aesthetic breast augmentation. Early pain is determined mainly by the implant plane, not by implant size, and should be considered in surgical planning and postoperative care. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Indexed as

Anesthesia, ConductionBreast ImplantationMammaplastyNerve BlockPostoperative PainAdultCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedPain MeasurementRetrospective StudiesRisk AssessmentThoracic NervesTreatment OutcomeUltrasonography, InterventionalAesthetic surgeryBreast augmentationOpioid-freePECS blockPostoperative painRegional anesthesia

Identifiers

PMID42236868
PMCPMC13433416

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.