A Comparative Study of Outcomes in Management of Breast Abscess by Ultrasound Guided Needle Aspiration and Incision and Drainage

Background- Breast abscess is a common cause of morbidity in women. While they are less common in developed countries as a result of improved maternal hygiene, nutrition, standard of living and early administration of antibiotics, breast abscess remain a problem among women in developing countries. Methods- Hospital based prospective randomized controlled study conducted on 100 patients. Fifty of them were randomized in the aspiration group and other 50 were treated by incision and drainage. All statistical analysis was done in Epi-info statistical software. Results- Majority of the patients were of the age group 21-30 years. History of lactation was present in 66% of the cases. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common organism responsible for breast abscess. Patients of needle aspiration group encountered lesser pain than the incision and drainage group. Conclusion- Wherever the facility of ultrasound is available, serial percutaneous needle aspiration may be tried as a first line of therapy up to a maximum of three attempts, in patients whose abscess diameter <5cm and in those where the abscess diameter is >5cm, incision and drainage maybe used as first line therapy.