Articles
Articles are a collaborative effort to provide a single canonical page on all topics relevant to the practice of radiology. As such, articles are written and continuously improved upon by countless contributing members. Our dedicated editors oversee each edit for accuracy and style. Find out more about articles.
28 results found
Article
Medical devices in the thorax
Medical devices in the thorax are regularly observed by radiologists when reviewing radiographs and CT scans.
Extrathoracic devices
tubing, clamps, syringes, scissors, lying on or under the patient
rubber sheets, foam mattresses, clothing, hair braids, nipple piercings, etc., may also be visi...
Article
Multifocal breast cancer
Multifocal breast cancer refers to two or more individual breast cancers diagnosed at the same time within the same quadrant of the same breast 1.
There is however some heterogeneity in the way the term (as well as the term multicentric breast cancer) is used 4.
NB: When staging such breast c...
Article
Gynecomastia
Gynecomastia refers to a benign excess of the male breast tissue, that is usually reversible. It is not a risk factor per se for developing male breast cancer.
Epidemiology
While it can occur at any age, it tends to have greater prevalence in two groups: adolescent boys and older men (some pub...
Article
Breast calcifications
Breast calcifications are deposits of calcium salts in the breast, which are radio-opaque on mammography. The majority are benign, but they can be associated with cancer. The ability to diagnose and appropriately manage the significant microcalcifications and differentiate them from innocuous fi...
Article
Fat containing breast lesions
Fat containing breast lesions generally have some radiolucent component on mammography.
Pathology
They are generally classified at BIRADS II lesions.
Common
breast lipoma
breast hamartoma
fat necrosis within the breast/oil cyst
intramammary lymph node: classically has a cen...
Article
Asymmetry (mammography)
Asymmetries in mammography represent a spectrum of morphological descriptors for a unilateral fibroglandular-density finding seen on one or more mammographic projections that do not meet criteria for a mass. The term refers to a density finding and should not be confused with asymmetry in breast...
Article
Breast density
Breast density refers to the amount of fibroglandular tissue in a breast relative to fat. It can significantly vary between individuals and within individuals over a lifetime.
Classification
There are four descriptors for breast density on mammography in the 5th edition of BI-RADS 1,2:
a...
Article
Dilated ducts on breast imaging (differential)
Dilated ducts on breast imaging may be seen on many breast imaging modalities and can arise from a number of causes which can be both benign or malignant.
physiological lactational changes
mammary duct ectasia
breast neoplasm 2-3
Article
Hyperechoic breast lesions
There are a number of lesions that appear hyperechoic on ultrasound. Such lesions can be either completely or partly hyperechoic and include both benign and malignant entities.
Benign
fat containing breast lesions
lipoma of the breast
fibroadenolipoma (hamartoma) of the breast
fo...
Article
Asymmetry in breast size
Asymmetry in breast size can arise from a number of factors.
Pathology
Breasts are rarely absolutely the same size or volume. Normal variation is common. Most females have slight discrepancies in breast size. Asymmetric progressive breast enlargement is unusual but known. The role of the breas...
Article
Skin thickening on mammography (differential)
The presence of skin thickening on mammography is variably defined, usually being more than 2 mm in thickness. It can result from a number of both benign and malignant causes. They include:
Malignant
inflammatory breast cancer: one of the most concerning causes of skin thickening: this usually...
Article
Cutaneous calcifications in breast imaging
Cutaneous calcifications in breast imaging can form in dermal sweat glands after low grade folliculitis and inspissation of sebaceous material. Calcifications may also form in moles and other skin lesions. The vast majority of calcifications are coincidental findings on mammography.
Radiographi...
Article
Leave alone lesions - breast
Breast leave alone lesions are so characteristic on mammography that further diagnostic tests such as a biopsy are unnecessary. All of these lesions are entirely benign and known as BI-RADS 2 findings:
lipoma: fat density; well-defined rounded lesion
oil cyst: fat density; well-defined lesion;...
Article
Calcific axillary lymphadenopathy (differential)
Calcific axillary lymphadenopathy is in general, more concerning than axillary lymphadenopathy alone and is particularly so if it contains microcalcifications. While this is concerning for malignancy, it can also occur from occasional nonmalignant causes.
Pathology
Etiology
metastatic axillar...
Article
Edematous breast
Edematous breast refers to the thickening of skin and Cooper's ligaments of the breast with increased parenchymal density on mammography, which causes a coarse reticular pattern. Findings could be unilateral or bilateral, and regarding the presence or absence of inflammation/erythema, differenti...
Article
Breast lump
Breast lumps have different characteristics that allow simplification of differential diagnosis by breaking down the vast list into sections. Consider whether the lump fits into one of these categories.
Spiculated lesion
Spiculation is a feature of neoplasms and all masses that display spicula...
Article
Multicentric breast cancer
A multicentric breast cancer is a term given to a breast cancer where there are two or more breast cancers separated by normal breast tissue (often taken as 5 cm of separation 4). It is related to but distinct from the term multifocal breast cancer.
At a pathological level It can also mean 2
t...
Article
Bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy (differential)
Bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy can result from a number of causes and generally implies a systemic process. They include:
autoimmune diseases, e.g.:
rheumatoid arthritis
scleroderma
dermatomyositis 5
systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
psoriasis
Sjögren syndrome
lymphoma
leukemia
di...
Article
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 or occasionally on a MLO view. On a CC view, these cal...
Article
Grouped calcifications
The term grouped calcifications is used in mammography when relatively few breast microcalcifications reside within a small area. There must be at least five calcifications present within 1 cm of each other 3. At the most, it may refer to a larger number of calcifications present within 2 cm of ...
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