Ductography for nipple discharge: no replacement for ductal excision. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: Current management of nipple discharge depends on clinical history to distinguish pathologic from physiologic discharge. We investigated whether ductography supplied additional information in the decision for surgery and/or the localization of pathologic lesion. METHODS: A retrospective review of patients with a presenting complaint of nipple discharge seen at the Lynn Sage Breast Center was conducted from January 1995 to June 1996. Medical records, pathology, and ductograms were reviewed. RESULTS: Of 91 patients with nipple discharge, 49 met the criteria for physiologic discharge and 42 had pathologic discharge. Eleven with physiologic discharge had ductograms; none were abnormal. Four of 20 preoperative ductograms were normal but showed intraductal papillomas at the time of surgery; 6 of 20 (30%) had multiple lesions. Four lesions on ductograms did not demonstrate corresponding lesions in the surgical specimen. It is uncertain whether this is due to a missed lesion or a false-positive ductogram. CONCLUSIONS: Modern ductography does not reliably exclude intraductal pathology and is not a substitute for surgery in patients with pathologic discharge. Its utility is in identifying multiple lesions or those with lesions in the periphery of the breast.

publication date

  • October 1, 1998

Research

keywords

  • Mammography
  • Nipples

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0031691910

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1067/msy.1998.91362

PubMed ID

  • 9780989

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 124

issue

  • 4