Milk of calcium within a breast cyst
Milk of calcium within a breast cyst is a mammographic feature observed when there is dependent calcium layering within breast cysts. It is typically observed as "tea cup" or "crescent shaped" calcifications on a true lateral (LM or ML) view on occasionally on a MLO view. On a CC view, these calcifications can appear smudged due to being viewed en face. The presence of milk of calcium is in a vast majority of cases, a very reassuring feature for benign breast disease.
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Pathology
Entities in which this feature could be observed include:
- fibrocystic changes-cystic hyperplasia of the breast: small crescents
- large simple breast cysts: large crescents
Mammography
- craniocaudal (CC) view: round/smudged microcalcification
- mediolateral oblique view (MLO): linear
- mediolateral (ML) view: heavier calcium sediments layer in the bases of microcysts-meniscoid appearance
Differential diagnosis
If milk of calcium is superimposed with more pleomorphic microcalcifications (a very rare situation), consider apocrine carcinoma of the breast 1.
Related Radiopaedia articles
Breast imaging and pathology
- breast screening
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mammography
- breast imaging and the technologist
- forbidden (check) areas in mammography
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mammography views
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- mediolateral oblique view
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- magnification view
- exaggerated craniocaudal (axillary) view
- cleavage view
- tangential views
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- bullseye CC view
- rolled CC view
- elevated craniocaudal projection
- caudal cranial projection
- 20° oblique projection
- inferomedial superolateral oblique projection
- Eklund technique
- normal breast imaging examples
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breast cancer
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breast cancer
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-
breast calcifications (approach)
- morphology
- distribution
- location
- lobular calcification within breast tissue
- intraductal calcification within breast tissue
- milk of calcium within a breast cyst
- vascular calcification in breast tissue
- skin (dermal) calcification in / around breast tissue
- suture calcification within breast tissue
- stromal calcification within breast tissue
- artifactual calcification from outside the breast
- suspicious breast calcifications
- infection/inflammation
- vascular lesions
- systemic disease
- gamuts
- classification systems
- malignant lesions
- breast cancer staging
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