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Breast Surgery guides
15 plain-English, evidence-linked guides in Breast Surgery, with clinical review status shown on each page.
Axillary lymph node clearance (axillary lymph node dissection (axillary clearance))An operation to remove most of the lymph nodes from the armpit, usually because breast cancer has spread to them, which helps treat the cancer and plan further treatment.Breast abscess drainage (Drainage of breast abscess (needle aspiration or incision and drainage))A procedure to remove a painful collection of pus in the breast, usually with a needle under ultrasound guidance or, if needed, a small cut, alongside antibiotics.Breast biopsy (Core needle biopsy / vacuum-assisted breast biopsy)A test that takes small samples of breast tissue with a needle so they can be examined under a microscope and a lump or change can be diagnosed.Breast cancer surgery (surgery for breast cancer (breast-conserving surgery or mastectomy, with lymph node surgery))An overview of the operations used to remove breast cancer, from breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) to mastectomy, usually alongside checking the lymph nodes in the armpit.Breast cyst drainage (Breast cyst aspiration)A quick clinic procedure that uses a fine needle to drain fluid from a breast cyst, easing discomfort and helping confirm the lump is a simple, benign cyst.Breast duct surgery for nipple discharge (Microdochectomy / total duct excision)An operation to remove one milk duct (microdochectomy) or all the main ducts (total duct excision) to investigate and treat troublesome or suspicious nipple discharge.Breast implant removal (Breast implant removal (explantation), with or without capsulectomy)An operation to take out breast implants, sometimes with the scar-tissue capsule around them, for reasons such as pain, rupture, hardening, a change of mind, or rarely a specific health concern.Breast reconstruction (implant) (implant-based breast reconstruction)An operation that rebuilds a breast shape after mastectomy using an implant, often with a tissue expander first, either at the same time as the mastectomy or later.Fibroadenoma removal (Excision of breast fibroadenoma (excision biopsy or vacuum-assisted excision))An operation to remove a fibroadenoma, a common benign breast lump, either through a small cut or with a vacuum-assisted needle device.Lump removal (wide local excision / lumpectomy) (Wide local excision (breast-conserving surgery), also called lumpectomy)An operation to remove a breast cancer or abnormal area along with a margin of healthy tissue, keeping as much of the breast as possible.Mastectomy (Mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast))An operation to remove the whole breast, used to treat breast cancer or, in some people at high risk, to reduce the chance of breast cancer developing.Nipple reconstruction (nipple-areola reconstruction (surgery and/or medical tattooing))A way to recreate the look of a nipple and areola after mastectomy and breast reconstruction, using a small skin flap, a tattoo, or both.Nipple-sparing mastectomy (nipple-sparing mastectomy (with breast reconstruction))An operation that removes the breast tissue but keeps the breast skin and the nipple, almost always with reconstruction at the same time, used for selected breast cancers or to reduce risk.Skin-sparing mastectomy (Skin-sparing mastectomy (with immediate breast reconstruction))An operation to remove all the breast tissue while keeping most of the breast skin, usually with reconstruction at the same time to rebuild the breast shape.Therapeutic mammoplasty (therapeutic mammaplasty (oncoplastic breast-conserving surgery))An operation that removes a breast cancer while reshaping the breast using breast-reduction techniques, helping keep the breast with a better cosmetic result.
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