Evaluation of painful breasts using

Abstract EN

Objective: to determine the importance of radiological imaging in evaluation of the painful breast in the absence of clinically palpable mass.

Material and Methods: from January 2000 to March 2003, 129 patients presented to the clinic with painful breasts, with a mean age ranging from15 -75 years.

On clinical examination no masses were detected.

Eighty nine patients were examined by Ultrasound and forty patients were examined by both ultrasound and mammography.

Results: Ninety nine (76%) of patients had negative finding .Solid masses were identified in 23 (17%) patient and cystic masses in 7 (5%).

Five masses were suspicious by mammography.

Biopsies were taken from these masses and found to have malignancy in one patient (0.7%).

Conclusion: In patients with painful breasts with no palpable masses, imaging radiology is more useful for reassurance than for cancer detection.