Breast Neurotization with Resensation after Mastectomy

Send us Fan MailIn this episode in the MedStar Health DocTalk series, host Debra Schindler talks with Dr. Meghan Milburn, FACS, director of the Breast Center at MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, about an important and emerging advancement in breast cancer surgery: breast nerve preservation and resensation after mastectomy. Dr. Milburn explains why loss of sensation is so common after mastectomy, affecting up to 60–80% of women, and how it can impact far more than physical feeling. Numbness and nerve pain can affect safety, intimacy, emotional wellbeing, and a woman’s sense of connection to her body, even when reconstruction looks cosmetically successful. The conversation explores how newer surgical techniques allow surgeons to identify, preserve, and reconnect nerves at the time of mastectomy and reconstruction, helping restore sensation to the breast and nipple over time. Dr. Milburn explains how nerve regeneration works, what patients can realistically expect, and why recovery can take months to years, but with meaningful improvements for many women. Listeners will learn: ·       Why numbness and neuropathic pain occur after mastectomy ·       How breast neurotization and nerve grafting are performed ·       What recovery and rehabilitation look like, including sensory “retraining” ·       Who may or may not be a good candidate for these procedures ·       How restoring sensation can reduce pain, improve quality of life, and help women feel whole again Dr. Milburn also shares patient experiences, discusses the emotional and psychological impact of sensation loss, and emphasizes the importance of shared decision-making, asking questions, and considering second opinions. This episode offers hope, education, and empowerment for anyone facing breast cancer surgery, and highlights how advances in surgical care are focusing not just on survival, but on long-term quality of life. If you're in the Baltimore area and would like to schedule an appointment to discuss breast neurotization surgery, call 443-777-6500.  Or to make an appointment in the DC region at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, call 202-877-7937. You can also see a specialist for nerve resensation at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in DC. Call 202-295-0560.   For more episodes of MedStar Health DocTalk, go to medstarhealth.org/doctalk.