BREAST DISEASES;

Abstract

Objective: To determine pattern of breast diseases presenting in the surgical OPD of a General hospital. Design: Aprospective observational study. Place & duration of study: The study was conducted at Railway hospital, Rawalpindi from September2008 to Feburary 2010. Patients & Methods: Female patients presenting with complaints regarding breast were recruited in the study. Allof them underwent clinical breast examination followed by necessary radiological and / or histopathological investigations to diagnosethe disease. Data regarding personal information, clinical examination findings and results of investigations done was collected on aproforma. Results mainly as frequencies were analyzed using software SPSS 16.0. Results: A total of 207 female patients presented inthe OPD with breast complaints. 15 patients were lost to follow up before a definitive diagnosis could be made; therefore they wereexcluded from the study. Out of 192 patients 21.9% had mastalgia followed by fibroadenoma (19.3%), breast abscess (15.6%),carcinoma breast (13.5%), fibrocystic disease (6.25%), duct ectasia (5.7%), acute mastitis (4.7%), no disease (4.2%), nipple eczyma(2.1%). Benign phylloides tumour, chronic mastitis, prominent axillary tail, cracked nipple were each 1% and 3 patients presented withmammary fistula (0.5%), accessory nipple (0.5%), and lipoma(0.5%). Conclusion: Breast diseases make a sizeable portion of thegeneral surgical practice. In our set up benign diseases are far more common than the malignant ones. Mastalgia is the commonestbreast problem. Malignancy of breast presents usually in late stages.