Clinical profile and methodology in the management of inflammatory benign breast lesions

Abstract

There is a high incidence of mammary infections among females who attend the emergency department or surgery outpatient department. Acute bacterial mastitis either resolves under antibiotic therapy or evolves towards a pyogenic abscess. Traditional treatment of breast abscesses is by surgical incision, digital disruption of septa, evacuation of contents with occasional placement of surgical drains, and administration of systemic antibiotics. This strategy often requires general anaesthesia, may leave unpleasant scars, is more expensive than aspiration, requires regular postoperative dressing changes, and interferes with lactation. Overall, about 10–38% of abscesses recur and require additional surgical drainage. Needle aspiration of the pus in breast abscesses has been reported both with and without ultrasound guidance. It causes less scarring, does not affect breast-feeding, nor does it require general anaesthesia or hospitalization. It is in fact a less expensive procedure than surgery. This study was applied to all patients with mammary infections. Ultrasound-guided drainage was done for abscesses of limited size. If the abscesses were bigger or when image-guided aspiration was not effective, they were considered for operative intervention.