The atypical form of granulomatous lobular mastitis – diagnostic dilemmas: a case report

Abstract

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a chronic inflammatory condition that may cause diagnostic difficulties during clinical tests and radiological examinations in terms of differentiation from contagious diseases, such as tuberculosis (TB) and fungal infections, as well as cancer. This report presents the case of a 23-year-old woman with granulomatous mastitis, along with a discussion of the diagnostic dilemmas based on a clinical test, mammography, ultrasonography and histopathological examination. IGM produces varied and non-specific manifestations on mammography and ultra­sonography. Therefore, histopathological examination is necessary to make an unambiguous diagnosis. The possibility of this condition must always be borne in mind to minimise the risk of an erroneous cancer diagnosis. There are no standard procedures in force for the treatment of IGM.