Galactography acquired with digital mammography in patients with nipple discharge: a retrospective analysis

To evaluate the galactographic findings taken with digital mammography and to compare the findings between benign and malignant breast diseases.

Galactographic findings were retrospectively analyzed and compared with histopathological results for 42 patients who showed abnormal findings on galactography and had histologically proven diagnoses between January 2005 and March 2008. A galactography was acquired using full-field digital mammography (Hologic Lorad Selenia; Danbury, USA). The difference in galactographic findings between malignant and benign breast diseases was analyzed using chi(2) test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Of the total 42 cases, 11 cases were malignant breast diseases and 31 were benign diseases. Common galactographic findings of benign diseases include ductal obstruction (48.3%) and single filling defect (51.6%), and common findings for malignant tumor include ductal dilatation (72.7%) and stenosis (63.6%). Ductal stenosis, microcalcifications or mass adjacent to abnormal duct, multiple filling defects, ductal wall irregularity, ductal distortion and irregular filling defects were more prevalently seen in malignant cases. A single filling defect and lobular filling defect was more prevalently seen in benign cases (P < 0.05). Ductal dilatation was a common finding in both malignant and benign cases with no significant difference.

Ductal lesions were well visualized on galactography acquired with a digital mammography. A preoperative diagnostic galactography is useful in making a differential diagnosis between benign diseases and malignant tumors in patients with pathologic nipple discharge.