Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation

Fat necrosis of the breast is a challenging diagnosis due to the various appearances on mammography, ultrasound, CT, PET-CT, and MRI. Although mammography is more specific, ultrasound is a very important tool in making the diagnosis of fat necrosis. MRI has a wide spectrum of findings for fat necros...

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Main Authors: William D. Kerridge, Oleksandr N. Kryvenko, Afua Thompson, Biren A. Shah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2015-01-01
Series:Radiology Research and Practice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/613139
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author William D. Kerridge
Oleksandr N. Kryvenko
Afua Thompson
Biren A. Shah
author_facet William D. Kerridge
Oleksandr N. Kryvenko
Afua Thompson
Biren A. Shah
author_sort William D. Kerridge
collection DOAJ
description Fat necrosis of the breast is a challenging diagnosis due to the various appearances on mammography, ultrasound, CT, PET-CT, and MRI. Although mammography is more specific, ultrasound is a very important tool in making the diagnosis of fat necrosis. MRI has a wide spectrum of findings for fat necrosis and the appearance is the result of the amount of the inflammatory reaction, the amount of liquefied fat, and the degree of fibrosis. While CT and PET-CT are not first line imaging examinations for the diagnosis of breast cancer or fat necrosis, they are frequently performed in the surveillance and staging of disease. Knowledge of how fat necrosis presents on these additional imaging techniques is important to prevent misinterpretation of the imaging findings. Gross and microscopic appearances of fat necrosis depend on the age of the lesion; the histologic examination of fat necrosis is usually straightforward. Knowledge of the variable appearances of fat necrosis on a vast array of imaging modalities will enhance a radiologist’s accuracy in the analysis and interpretation of fat necrosis versus other diagnoses.
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spelling doaj-art-9c40f21394bc47f8a3b9fe1423b4cbf32025-08-20T03:19:50ZengWileyRadiology Research and Practice2090-19412090-195X2015-01-01201510.1155/2015/613139613139Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic CorrelationWilliam D. Kerridge0Oleksandr N. Kryvenko1Afua Thompson2Biren A. Shah3Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USADepartments of Pathology and Urology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 33136, USADepartment of Radiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USADepartment of Radiology, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, MI 48202, USAFat necrosis of the breast is a challenging diagnosis due to the various appearances on mammography, ultrasound, CT, PET-CT, and MRI. Although mammography is more specific, ultrasound is a very important tool in making the diagnosis of fat necrosis. MRI has a wide spectrum of findings for fat necrosis and the appearance is the result of the amount of the inflammatory reaction, the amount of liquefied fat, and the degree of fibrosis. While CT and PET-CT are not first line imaging examinations for the diagnosis of breast cancer or fat necrosis, they are frequently performed in the surveillance and staging of disease. Knowledge of how fat necrosis presents on these additional imaging techniques is important to prevent misinterpretation of the imaging findings. Gross and microscopic appearances of fat necrosis depend on the age of the lesion; the histologic examination of fat necrosis is usually straightforward. Knowledge of the variable appearances of fat necrosis on a vast array of imaging modalities will enhance a radiologist’s accuracy in the analysis and interpretation of fat necrosis versus other diagnoses.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/613139
spellingShingle William D. Kerridge
Oleksandr N. Kryvenko
Afua Thompson
Biren A. Shah
Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation
Radiology Research and Practice
title Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation
title_full Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation
title_fullStr Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation
title_full_unstemmed Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation
title_short Fat Necrosis of the Breast: A Pictorial Review of the Mammographic, Ultrasound, CT, and MRI Findings with Histopathologic Correlation
title_sort fat necrosis of the breast a pictorial review of the mammographic ultrasound ct and mri findings with histopathologic correlation
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/613139
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