Diabetic mastopathy: a diagnostic challenge in breast sonography.

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to retrospectively evaluate the incidence and morphologic features of diabetic mastopathy in a group of patients with diabetes, searching for specific sonographic characteristics of diabetic mastopathy.

METHODS

One hundred twenty diabetic patients underwent breast clinical examination, mammography, and sonography. All detected breast lesions were confirmed histopathologically.

RESULTS

Breast lesions were found in 11 of the 120 patients (9%), including two cases of invasive ductal carcinomas and nine cases of diabetic mastopathy. In seven of those nine cases (77%), diabetic mastopathy appeared as a hypoechoic solid mass with irregular margins, inhomogeneous echotexture, and marked posterior shadowing. In the other two cases (23%), it appeared as a mildly inhomogeneous, hypoechoic solid mass.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetic mastopathy is a diagnostic challenge and needs to be suspected in all patients with diabetes mellitus. Imaging features are nonspecific and highly susggestive on breast sonography in most cases. Core-needle biopsy confirmation remains mandatory for a definitive diagnosis.