The appearances of benign breast diseases on ultrasound.

Background: Benign breast diseases are common and Ultrasound is a very useful tool in examining benign breast diseases especially in distinguishing solid from cystic masses. This study aims to determine the sonographic pattern of benign breast diseases in a Nigerian population and to compare this pattern with that which has been previously reported in other environments.

Methods: This a prospective study of Ninety-four patients with breast disease scanned between 1997 and 2001 on request from the breast clinic of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife. A total of forty-four patients with histologicaly confirmed benign breast diseases were selected for this study. Their ultrasonographic features were evaluated and compared with those previously described.

Result: Fibroadenoma was the commonest disease, occurring in 62.2% of the patients, with a mean age of 29.1 years, an age higher than that previously reported. Other diseases which were expected to occur commonly (breast abscess, cyst) were rarely seen.

Conclusion: While it was discovered that the sonographic pattern of most of the diseases in this study conformed to that already described in literature despite late presentation, only one sonographic appearance of galactocele, out of the three reported, was noted in this study. In addition, despite the nonspecificity of ultrasound appearances in fibrocystic disease, an attempt has been made to match these appearances with the different histological types already described in literature.