Comparison between Gasless and Gas-Inflated Robot-Assisted Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy

PURPOSE: Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) includes various techniques, including conventional or endoscopic mastectomies. Since the introduction of robot-assisted NSM (RANSM) in 2015, 2 main methods have been used: gasless and gas-inflated techniques. The aim of this study was to compare clinicopathologic characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications between patients treated with gasless RANSM and those treated with gas-inflated RANSM. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of women who underwent gasless or gas-inflated RANSM with immediate breast reconstruction between November 2016 and May 2019. The indications for RANSM were early breast cancer, interstitial mastopathy, or BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Clinicopathologic characteristics, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications were analyzed. The severity of complications was graded using the Clavien-Dindo system. RESULTS: A total of 58 RANSM procedures were performed in 46 women: 15 cases of gasless RANSM and 43 cases of gas-inflated RANSM. The proportion of node-negative disease was higher in the gas-inflated group (97.1%) than in the gasless group (69.2%, p = 0.016). Adjuvant radiotherapy was administered in 30.6% of the cases in the gasless group and only 5% of the cases in the gas-inflated group. Other clinicopathological factors were not significantly different between the groups. Regarding surgical outcomes, the initial incision was 1 cm longer in the gasless group (5.17 ± 0.88 cm) than that in the gas-inflated group (4.20 ± 1.05 cm; p = 0.002). The final incision was also longer in the gasless group (5.17 ± 0.88 cm) than that in the gas-inflated group (4.57 ± 1.07 cm; p = 0.040). Operation time, complication rate, and complication grade were not significantly different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: In this study, there were no significant differences in surgical outcomes or postoperative complications between gasless and gas-inflated RANSM, except for a longer incision with the gasless technique. Both techniques are reasonable options for RANSM followed by immediate reconstruction.