Las mujeres sometidas a reducción mamaria mejoran su apariencia estética, autoestima, síntomas físicos y vida sexual / Effects of breast reduction surgery on the quality life

Abstract Background: The results of breast reduction surgery are usually reported in terms of anthropometric assessments. However the impact of surgery in quality of life is seldom informed. Aim: To assess the effects of breast reduction surgery on the quality of life of patients. Material and Methods: The "Breast-QReduction and Mastopexy Module" was prospectively applied to all women subjected to breast reductionsurgery in a University Hospital during one year. Results: Twenty women answered the survey in thepreoperative period and 20 in the postoperative period. The most commonly cutaneous pattern employedthat the inverted T in 10 women, followed by the Wise pattern in six patients. The most commonly usedpedicles were superior in 10 patients, followed by superomedial in seven patients. Mean excision weightwas 923 g (range 150-2850). Mean Breast Q score improved from 45 to 65%. Satisfaction with breastappearance improved from 31 to 83%, self-esteem from 39 to 80%, sexuality from 50 to 81% and physicalsymptoms decreased from 48 to 16%. There was a significant association between the magnitude of excision and improvement in physical symptoms. Conclusions: Quality of life improves notably in womenafter breast reduction surgery.

Resumen Objetivo: Tradicionalmente la evaluación de resultados en reducción mamaria se ha limitado a evaluaciones antropométricas, que si bien nos entregan una evaluación objetiva de un aspecto de los resultados, resultan insuficientes para evaluar el impacto global en calidad de vida (CdV) de la cirugía en nuestros pacientes. Es por esto que el objetivo de este trabajo es determinar el cambio en calidad de vida en mujer es sometidas a reducción mamaria y explorar sus factores determinantes. Materiales y Métodos: Se realizó un estudio de cohorte prospectiva con todas las pacientes que ingresaron al Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCH) y se sometieron a reducción mamaria por cualquier técnica desde julio de 2013 a abril de 2014. La calidad de vida (CdV) se midió con el instrumento validado Breast-Q Reduction and Mastopex y Module. Se utilizó estadística descriptiva para caracterizar la muestra y analítica para determinar el cambio en CdV y sus factores pronósticos. Resultados: Entre julio de 2013 y abril de 2014 se operaron 25 pacientes, el seguimiento promedio fue de 7 meses. Veinte pacientes contestaron el Breast-Q preoperatorio y 20 el post operatorio. El patrón cutáneo más empleado fue la T acortada (10; 55,6%) seguido por el patrón de Wise (6; 33,3%); el pedículo más usado fue el superior (10; 55,6%) seguido del supero medial (7; 38,9%). La resección promedio total fue de 923 g, variando entre 150 g y 2.850 g. El puntaje promedio del Breast-Q subió de45% a 65% (p = 0,005). Las pacientes mejoraron su satisfacción con la apariencia mamaria desde un 30,8%a un 82,9% (p < 0,001), su autoestima de 38,7% a 80,1% (p < 0,001), síntomas físicos de 47,8% a 15,5% (p= 0,003) y sexualidad de 50,0% a 81,4% (p < 0,001). La magnitud de la resección se asoció a la mejoría de síntomas físicos (Coeff 0,07; p = 0,023). No se encontraron otras asociaciones significativas entre el cambio en parámetros de calidad de vida y variables independientes. Conclusiones: En este reporte preliminar hemos podido objetivar que existe una mejoría significativa en la calidad de vida de las pacientes sometidas a una reducción mamaria tanto en forma global como también en cada uno de los aspectos evaluados, mejorando significativamente su autoimagen, autoestima, vida sexual y síntomas físicos.

Body-QoL: un nuevo instrumento de evaluación de resultados desde la perspectiva del paciente en cirugía del contorno corporal estética y post bariátrica / Development and testing of an instrument to assess body shape related quality of life

Background: The assessment of patient satisfaction and quality of life after body remodeling surgery is important. Aim: To develop and assess a self-report instrument to evaluate the results of bariatric and body remodeling surgery. Material and Methods: A three phase methodology was used. In phase 1, literature was reviewed and in depth interviews to patients were carried out, creating a preliminary instrument that was applied to 1,340 patients in phase 2. In phase 3, the final assessment of the instrument was performed, applying it to 34 patients. The psychometric properties of the in instrument were evaluated. Results: The instrument has four domains (satisfaction with abdomen, sexual life, self-esteem and social life and psychological symptoms) and 20 items. Its score ranges from 20 (worst) to 100 (better). Response rate was 100 percent, internal reliability was 93 percent and test-re test concordance was 98 percent. Body shape related quality of life was significantly higher in men than in women. It decreases with age and with increasing body mass index. Patients subjected to bariatric surgery had lower scores than patients subjected to esthetic surgery. In the postoperative period, the score improved by 21.9 +/- 16.9 points...

Objetivo: La evaluación de resultados cualitativos demanda la utilización de instrumentos sistemáticos y reproducibles. No existe actualmente un instrumento para evaluación de resultados en cirugía de contorno corporal. nuestro objetivo fue desarrollar un nuevo instrumento de autoreporte de resultados desde la perspectiva del paciente (PROM) para medir calidad de vida (CdV) asociada a satisfacción corporal. Materiales y Métodos: Se siguió un diseño fase 3 estándar para la creación de un instrumento de autoreporte de resultados por el paciente; en la fase 1 se utilizó un diseño cualitativo en 45 pacientes para desarrollar un marco conceptual y crear los dominios e ítems de la escala preliminar. En la fase 2, se condujo una evaluación de la población a gran escala en 1.340 pacientes a fin de reducir los ítems y dominios. En la fase 3, se realizó una evaluación final del instrumento desarrollado en 34 pacientes. La evaluación estadística incluyó análisis de factores, RASCH y regresión multivariada. Las propiedades psicométricas medidas fueron la confiabilidad interna de la escala, correlaciones item-test, item-retest y correlación test-retest. Resultados: El instrumento desarrollado consta de 4 dominios (Satisfacción con el abdomen, vida sexual, autoestima-vida social y síntomas psicológicos) y 20 ítems en total. El puntaje puede variar entre 20 (peor) y 100 (mejor). La tasa de respuesta fue 100%, confiabilidad interna 93,3%, concordancia test-retest 97,7%. La calidad de vida (CdV) asociada a imagen corporal fue superior en hombres que en mujeres (p < 0,001) y disminuye con la edad (p = 0,004) e incremento del IMC (p < 0,001). Los pacientes de cirugía de contorno corporal post bariátrica, puntuaron menos que los pacientes de estética en todos los dominios del instrumento Body-QoL (p < 0,001). En el postoperatorio el puntaje mejoró un promedio de 21,9 ± 16,9 (tamaño efecto 1,8, p < 0,001)...

Immunoblastic transformation of a Sezary syndrome in a black Caribbean patient without evidence of HTLV-I.

We describe an unusual case of Sezary syndrome which transformed into a large T-cell non Hodgkin's lymphoma (immunoblastic) in a black man of Caribbean descent with negative HTLV-I serology and no evidence of HTLV-I infection by DNA analysis using sensitive techniques. The disease presented as a small-cell Sezary syndrome and transformed in an inguinal lymph node one year from diagnosis. Immunological markers in the small and large cells showed a mature T-cell phenotype CD4+, CD8- with expression of T-cell activation markers and a high proliferative rate. Ultrastructural analysis confirmed small Sezary cells with serpentine nucleus in the peripheral blood and immunoblasts in the lymph node. Cytogenetics demonstrated complex clonal chromosome abnormalities with involvement of 7q35, the locus for the beta chain of the T-cell receptor (TCR). Southern-blot analysis showed the same rearrangement of the TCR beta, gamma, delta chain genes in lymph node and peripheral blood cells. Antibodies to HTLV-I were not detected in the serum by ELISA and particle agglutination (PA) nor HTLV-I specific sequences were demonstrated by nested polymerase chain reaction with primers to the envelope proteins, LTR and tax/rex of HTLV-I in both tissues, blood and lymph node. The disease had an aggressive course and was refractory to therapy; the patient died of progressive disease 28 months from presentation. Two unusual features characterised this patient's illness: immunoblastic transformation of a Sezary syndrome in a patient of Afro-Caribbean origin without evidence of HTLV-I DNA sequences and negative HTLV-I serology and the atypical lymph node histology resembling ATLL.

T-cell malignancies in Brazil. Clinico-pathological and molecular studies of HTLV-I-positive and -negative cases.

T-cell malignancies in Brazil have a high seroprevalence rate of HTLV-I antibodies. We have analyzed the disease features in 188 Brazilian patients with a T-cell disorder. These included 40 with T-lymphoblastic leukaemia or lymphoma (T-ALL/T-LbLy) and 148 with mature T-cell diseases: 5 T-prolymphocytic leukaemia, 53 adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL), 54 cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, 29 pleomorphic T-cell lymphomas and 7 large granular lymphocyte leukaemia. The diagnosis was based on clinical, morphological and immunological features and HTLV-I serology. ATLL in Brazil has the same diseases features as in other endemic regions, the only apparent differences being: age, Brazilian patients being younger than Japanese, and ethnic grouping, one third of Brazilians being white Caucasians of European descent. We applied a scoring system based on the presence or absence of typical features associated with ATLL; hypercalcaemia, cell morphology, immunophenotype, histopathology and HTLV-I status, to see whether it may help in diagnosing cases of ATLL. All had high scores, whereas all other T-cell diseases scored low. Only 5 ATLL cases were HTLV-I-negative by serology, but they had otherwise typical features of ATLL, and their cells did not have HTLV-I proviral sequences by DNA analysis. Such cases suggest that ATLL may develop in a minority of individuals living in regions where it is endemic, without evidence of HTLV-I infection, and that other factors may contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease.

HTLV-1 envelope sequences from Brazil, the Caribbean, and Romania: clustering of sequences according to geographic origin and variability in an antibody epitope.

We sequenced the envelope genes of Human T-cell leukemia type I viruses (HTLV-I) derived from five Brazilian, two Caribbean, and one Romanian case of adult T-cell leukemia after amplification of the complete env gene by PCR. A comparison with previously reported HTLV-I sequences revealed that, although highly homologous, no two env sequences were identical. All envelope sequences differed from each other by 0.3-2.1% nucleotide differences. The five Brazilian sequences clustered together and were about as different from each other (0.5-0.75% nucleotide difference) as were three previously reported Japanese sequences (0.7-0.95%). In contrast, sequences of Caribbean origin were less homogeneous (0.5-1.9% nucleotide differences within this group). The Romanian sequence was not significantly more divergent than any of the others and was closest to our two Caribbean sequences. We observed two changes in a region (aa 176-209) which has previously been shown to contain a linear antibody epitope recognized by most human sera from seropositive individuals. One of these changes affects the binding of monoclonal antibodies to this epitope demonstrating the variability of an antibody epitope in the HTLV-I envelope.

Adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma in Brazil and its relation to HTLV-I.

In a series of fourteen patients with adult T-cell lymphoma-leukaemia (ATLL) in Brazil the main features were lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, hypercalcaemia, and high leucocyte counts, with abnormal lymphoid cells which had irregular nuclei. The series included the youngest patient with ATLL so far (18 months). Analysis with monoclonal antibodies showed a mature T-cell phenotype (CD4+, CD8-). Antibodies to HTLV-I and/or integration of HTLV-I proviral DNA were found in eleven patients. In the other three HTLV-I DNA could not be demonstrated even by means of the polymerase chain reaction; they therefore had HTLV-I-negative ATLL. This report of ATLL in Brazil corroborates serological reports that HTLV-I may be endemic in some parts of that country. Follow-up studies are required to identify precisely the main route of transmission of HTLV-I in South America and the risk factors for the development of ATLL in carriers.