You'll see it when you know it: granulomatous mastitis

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: A challenging case report and comprehensive review of the literature

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is an uncommon, long-lasting inflammatory condition of the female breast. It is characterized by the development of a painful breast mass that gradually increases in size. This condition is benign and its cause is unknown. It primarily affects women of childbearing age who have a history of pregnancy and breastfeeding. The main feature of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is the presence of chronic inflammation in the breast.

CASE PRESENTATION

We report a 36-year-old woman with a history of pregnancy and breastfeeding presented with pain and swelling of the right breast. Physical examination revealed a mass with redness and retraction of the nipple. Imaging revealed localized density and hypoechoic areas with collection, suggesting granulomatous mastitis. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. The abscess was drained through a small incision performed under local anesthesia. Treatment with corticosteroids resulted in significant improvement, with complete resolution after one month.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

A comprehensive evaluation of potential causes is necessary to confirm the diagnosis of idiopathic granulomatous mastitis. Histologically, it is distinguished by the predominant presence of neutrophils and the absence of caseous necrosis. Treatment remains controversial, with recent literature supporting the efficacy of conservative management with steroid and immunosuppressive therapy, leaving surgical excision for complicated and refractory cases.

CONCLUSIONS

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis is an uncommon breast condition where the exact causes and recommended treatment approaches are not well-defined. It is important to consider this condition in women who are in their reproductive years.

Granulomatous mastitis: An underdiagnosed inflammatory disease afflicting minority women

Granulomatous mastitis (GM) is an underdiagnosed and understudied benign inflammatory disease of the breast whose accurate diagnosis is confounded by mimicry of other breast pathologies (infectious mastitis and abscess, malignancy) and limited clinician knowledge of the disease. GM disproportionately affects minority women, furthering health disparities for a demographic already disadvantaged in the care of breast diseases. The first step in diagnosis is ultrasound followed by core needle biopsy yielding granulomatous inflammation. To far lesser degree, mammography, and MRI may play a role in narrowing the differential. A high index of clinical suspicion and multidisciplinary approach is required. The presence of Corynebacterium kroppensteddti may indicate one subtype of granulomatous mastitis called cystic neutrophilic granulomatous mastitis; disease stratification, and individualized therapy are on the horizon.

A new search pattern for emergency breast exams: the clinical picture

Distinct breast diseases are readily diagnosed by clinical and ultrasound appearance that radiologists and sonographers may encounter in emergency room and urgent care patient presentations. While it may be impractical or impossible for the on-call emergency radiologist to examine a patient with breast complaints, radiologists can and should adopt the practice pattern to routinely seek out the clinical photographs in the patient's medical record while interpreting breast examinations. Imaging should be interpreted in the context of both the history and the physical findings. Sonographers play important roles in the documentation of visual inspection findings, in addition to performing high quality targeted ultrasound where applicable. This pictorial offers resources to emergency radiologists and sonographers that facilitate rapid accurate diagnosis of ten distinct breast diseases.