Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42870219›Full record

ArticleUpdates in surgery2026

Nipple or skin-sparing mastectomy flap: can preoperative breast-MRI predict post-operative complications?

L I Sgaramella, A Pasculli, F P Prete, F Cofone, M Moschetta, M Maruccia, R Elia, M Telegrafo, V De Ruvo, M Bisceglie and 7 more

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Article in Updates in 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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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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

17 authors.

L I SgaramellaDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy. ilaria.sgaram@gmail.com.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6087-4119
A PasculliDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2276-2383
F P PreteDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0426-8752
F CofoneBreast Care Unit, Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy.
M MoschettaBreast Care Unit, Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1771-8337
M MarucciaDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2122-2732
R EliaDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6094-5159
M TelegrafoBreast Care Unit, Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy.
V De RuvoBreast Care Unit, Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy.
M BisceglieDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.
M M MiccoliDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.
F PalmaDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.
C TestiniDepartment of Interdisciplinary Medicine (DIM), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
G GiudiceDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3883-8901
M TestiniDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9297-4894
A GurradoDepartment of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area (DiMePreJ), Aldo Moro University, Bari, Italy. angela.gurrado@uniba.it.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2009-5831
BCUPoliBa Working Group

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the role of skin flap thickness (SFT), measured by preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in predicting postoperative complications after nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy, and to assess its value in guiding reconstructive strategy selection.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective single-center study including patients who underwent preoperative breast MRI and nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy for breast cancer or BRCA1/2 mutations between January 2019 and August 2025. Demographic, clinical, and perioperative data were collected. Patients were stratified into two groups based on mean preoperative SFT: >8 mm (Group A) and <8 mm (Group B). Postoperative complications were recorded and analyzed using univariate and multivariate models.

resultsSixty patients (mean age 47.5 ± 9.1 years) and 80 breasts (40 unilateral, 20 bilateral procedures) were included. Group A comprised 54 breasts (67.5%), while Group B included 26 (32.5%). Postoperative hospital stays and incision type differed significantly between groups (p < 0.05). Overall postoperative morbidity was 16.25%. Partial nipple-areola complex necrosis (11.5%) and hematoma (7.7%) occurred significantly more often in Group B compared to Group A (both p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis confirmed preoperative SFT <8 mm as an independent predictor of these complications (odds ratio 13.40, p = 0.012).

conclusionPreoperative magnetic resonance imaging assessment of skin flap thickness reliably identifies patients at increased risk of postoperative complications. Integrating this parameter into surgical planning may support personalized reconstructive decision-making and improve clinical outcomes.

Indexed as

Breast cancerBreast magnetic resonance imagingBreast reconstructionNipple-sparing mastectomyPostoperative complicationsSkin flap thicknessSkin sparing mastectomy

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Registered trials

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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.