Touch sensibility in the breast after subcutaneous mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis

Touch sensibility was assessed with von Frey's monofilaments in the breasts of 10 healthy women (controls) and of 80 women with breast cancer who at least 1 year previously had undergone subcutaneous mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis. Touch thresholds were measured at nine positions on each breast. Low threshold values (< 3.2 mN) and good reproducibility were found in the controls. In the patients' surgically treated breasts normal (< 3.2 mN) or subnormal (< 20 mN) median threshold values were found outside the areola. Higher median Values were noted on the areola and nipple; on the nipple, however, one third of the patients had normal sensibility while 14% lacked sensibility. The only factors found to influence the results were simultaneous subcutaneous reduction mammaplasty (lower touch thresholds) and the localisation of the incision (slightly lower thresholds for lazy-S than inframammary incision). These results confirm the clinical impression that touch sensibility is substantially retained after subcutaneous mastectomy and immediate reconstruction with a prosthesis.