Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis, Is It a Surgical Disease? Case Series and Literature Review

Abstract

Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis (IGM) is an uncommon benign chronic inflammatory breast disease. It can mimic two frequent breast disorders, breast cancer and breast abscess. Although it is associated with certain risk factors, neither clinical presentation nor radiological findings are diagnostic. Histopathological evaluation plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of IGM and its treatment is controversial. We present two patients with IGM treated at King Fahad Specialist Hospital-Dammam, Saudi Arabia, over a period of 4 years. Both patients had different clinical presentations, and treatment courses. However, they both achieved remission of the disease eventually. We recommend that surgical management should be considered last in the treatment options, to avoid wound related chronic complications and poor cosmetic outcomes. The clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of IGM are discussed in this paper.