Migrated foreign body granulomas on mammography after injection in the cervicofacial area

The purpose of this study was to describe the mammographic findings of localized foreign body granulomas in women who were injected with a foreign body in the cervicofacial area to flatten wrinkles.

The teaching files of our institutions were searched, and nine mammograms of migrated foreign body granulomas located. The mammograms were analysed, including the location, shape, size, distribution and depth of the high-density nodules. All these cases had undergone sonography.

The migrated foreign body granulomas appeared bilateral (n = 6) or unilateral (n = 3), as oval or round high-density nodules, in the upper inner and/or upper central locations. The average size of the lesions was less than 5 mm in all cases. All nine sonograms showed multiple, round cystic nodules, less than 5 mm in size, with strong posterior shadowing from far upper central to the upper inner breast. Sonography of the lower neck revealed the anatomy could not be visualized due to the strong posterior shadowing in the skin and subcutaneous fat layer.

Migrated foreign body granulomas appeared on mammograms as localized, multiple oval or round high-density nodules, less than 0.5 cm in size, in the upper inner and/or upper central breast. Breast sonography, including the sonography of the suspected cervicofacial area, is helpful in verifying migrated foreign body granulomas.