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tumescent mastectomy

(too-MEH-sent ma-STEK-toh-mee)
A type of surgery to remove the breast. The breast is injected with a liquid mixture of salts and small amounts of two drugs. These drugs are lidocaine, to numb the area, and epinephrine, to narrow blood vessels and reduce bleeding. Tumescent mastectomy is usually used to treat breast cancer in elderly patients.
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