Botulinum toxin may help minimize post-operative pain in women who undergo breast reconstruction after a mastectomy, according to plastic surgeon Dr. Allen Gabriel, who presented his study at the recent International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Congress.
The doctor conducted a 30-patient clinical trial for this off-label application of Botox, demonstrating that botulinum toxin type A can address post-operative pain.
Breast reconstruction (using silicone breast implants) typically involves the positioning of a temporary expander implant between layers of the chest muscle, which is filled with water to create a pocket where a permanent implant will reside. Pain can result from muscle contractions and spasms in response to the expansion.
Dr. Gabriel, along with his collaborator Dr. G. Patrick Maxwell, theorized that Botox injections could offer relief by temporarily paralyzing the muscle so that fewer spasms occur, resulting in less pain.
The clinical trial assigned 30 breast cancer patients—who all planned a mastectomy with silicone implant breast reconstruction—into two groups: one group had Botox injected into the chest muscle and the other received injections of saline solution as a placebo.
After surgery, the women who received the Botox injections were reportedly more comfortable than those who received placebo. The doctors measured patient responses three times during and after the procedure, noting that during days 7 to 45 of the recovery period, those that received Botox injections used significantly fewer doses of narcotics and muscle relaxants.
