Preoperative ultrasound staging of the axilla make's peroperative examination of the sentinel node redundant in breast cancer: saving tissue, time and money.

Objective: To evaluate the role of preoperative axillary staging with ultrasound (US) and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). Can we avoid intraoperative sentinel lymph node (SLN) examination, with an acceptable revision rate by preoperative staging?

Design: This study is based on the retrospective data of 336 patients that underwent US evaluation of the axilla as part of their staging. A FNAC biopsy was performed when abnormal lymph nodes were visualized.

Idiopathic ganulomatous mastitis.

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare chronic benign disease of the breast. Histologically, the disease presents as an inflammatory reaction with non-caseating granulomas considered characteristic for IGM. IGM is often confused with breast cancer or mastitis with abcedations, and is treated with surgery which involves mutilation of the breast.

Role of MRI of the breast in the evaluation of the symptomatic patient.

Purpose Of Review: The role of MRI in breast pathology is still controversial. The technique has a high sensitivity for detection of breast carcinoma, but specificity is low. Therefore, it is only useful for right indications.

Axillary lymphadenopathy as a first symptom of diabetic mastopathy.

Diabetic mastopathy is an unusual fibroinflammatory breast lesion that characteristically presents in premenopausal women with long-standing type 1 diabetes mellitus.Patients present with clinically suspicious breast masses or axillary lymph nodes with imaging characteristics indistinguishable from malignancy. Fine needle aspiration is often inadequate and a core biopsy should be performed.

Nipple discharge and the value of MR imaging.

Nipple discharge is common, and is associated with a malignancy in 5-20% of cases. Physical examination and the colour or clarity are of importance. Cytology and galactography have little value in the evaluation of nipple discharge.

MR mammography of a primary squamous cell carcinoma of the breast: a case report.

A case of a primary squamous cell carcinoma of the breast in a patient with synchronous contralateral invasive ductal adenocarcinoma is reported. To our knowledge, no dynamic MR mammography of this pathology is described in the literature. On MR, it presented as a mainly non-enhancing, partially cystic mass with an enhancing irregular peripheral rim.