Mastitis and More: A Pictorial Review of the Red, Swollen, and Painful Breast

Genevieve A Woodard; Asha A Bhatt; Erica M Knavel; Katie N Hunt

doi:10.1093/jbi/wbaa098

Mastitis and More: A Pictorial Review of the Red, Swollen, and Painful Breast

J Breast Imaging. 2021 Jan 26;3(1):113-123. doi: 10.1093/jbi/wbaa098.

Authors

Genevieve A Woodard¹, Asha A Bhatt¹, Erica M Knavel¹, Katie N Hunt¹

Affiliation

¹ Mayo Clinic, Department of Radiology, Rochester, MN.

PMID: 38424840
DOI: 10.1093/jbi/wbaa098

Abstract

Clinically, acute mastitis presents as a red, swollen, and painful breast. Targeted ultrasound can be performed to evaluate the extent of infection and for an underlying abscess. Noncomplicated mastitis or a small fluid collection may respond to oral antibiotics without further intervention, but a larger or more complex abscess may require single or serial percutaneous aspiration. Breast infections, particularly those complicated by an abscess, can have a prolonged clinical course, and close follow-up is required. Since the clinical presentation and imaging features of acute infectious mastitis can overlap with other etiologies, such as inflammatory breast cancer and idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, a percutaneous biopsy may be indicated to accurately diagnose patients.

Keywords: abscess; aspiration; breast ultrasound; mammography; mastitis.