Background: Seroma formation is the most common complication following mastectomy and axillary dissection (AD). Currently available interventions have aimed at obliterating dead space by inducing fibrosis and through various mechanical methods. Here, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), used as a sclerosing agent for the prevention of seroma formation, was investigated in a rat mastectomy model.
Methods: 20 rats were divided into two groups (5-FU and control). All rats underwent mastectomy and AD. Immediately following the operation, equal volumes of saline and 5-FU were administered under the surgical flaps. One week after the operation, seroma formation and wound-healing processes were evaluated using histopathological and biochemical investigations.
Results: 5-FU did not act as a sclerosing agent, yet it was highly effective in preventing seroma formation. The intensity of acute inflammation, vascularity, as well as leukocyte and fibroblast infiltration, were significantly lower in the 5-FU group than the control; the tissue collagen fractions and total seroma collagen contents were found to be similar between the two groups.
Conclusions: The mechanisms underlying seroma prevention by 5-FU are probably related to a decrease in the inflammation and angiogenesis rather than a local fibrotic process. Seroma formation may be due to a prolonged inflammatory phase of wound healing.
(c) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel