Efficacy of Single Pre-Operative Dose of Glucocorticoid (125mg of Solumedrol Intravenous) in Terms of Seroma Formation in Patients Undergoing Mastectomy with Axillary Clearance For Breast Cancer: A Randomized Control Trial

Objective: The study aimed to determine the efficacy of single dose of glucocorticoid (125 mg of Solumedrol intravenous) in terms of seroma formation after mastectomy in patient with carcinoma of breast. Study Design: Randomized control trial. Place and Duration of Study: Study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery, Liaquat National Hospital Karachi, Pakistan from july 1 to dec 31, 2010. Patients and Methods: Patients were randomly divided in two groups (study and control) each group consisting of 30 patients. Randomization was done by opening of a sealed envelope which had a slip bearing the name of study medication (solumederol or saline as placebo) to be administered. The study group received a single dose of inj 125mg solumedrol IV half an hour prior to surgery by resident scrub in surgery. A similar procedure was applied to the control group and patients in controlled group were administered an equal volume of saline intravenously. After drain removal patients in both groups were observed for a duration of 2 weeks for sermoa formation. Detection of seroma formation was based on clinical grounds by absence of any fluid collection at mastectomy bed as detected by manual palpation. SPSS 10 was used for analysis. Results: Seroma formation was observed in 66.7% (40/60) women 2 weeks post drain removal. Rate of seroma formation was significantly low in study groups than control groups (33.3% vs. 100%; p=0.0001). Conclusion: Single dose of steroid is efficacious in reducing the post mastectomy seroma formation.