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Pneumomastia: a rare cause of breast swelling
Mike Kipling1, Christopher Christou1, Ludger Barthelmes1
1Department of Breast and General Surgery, Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, Cumbria, UK.
Background:
Pneumomastia is air within the breast parenchyma. A number of causes have been reported for this condition. This case report describes a new cause and details of the management strategy applied, together with a review of the literature.
Case Report:
We describe a case of acute breast swelling in a 40-year-old woman and its subsequent successful conservative management.
Conclusion:
Bronchopleural fistula after thoracotomy is a risk, and can cause pneumomastia. This is more likely to occur after redo thoracic surgery. Pneumomastia after repeat thoracotomy can be managed conservatively, even in the presence of a bronchopleural fistula.
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