What are calcifications of the breast?
Deposits are deposits of calcium salts within the breast. They are a fairly common finding on mammograms, in which they appear as white spots. Calcifications alone are not a problem. What we are interested in is what caused them to form and this is what we investigate in case of discovery of calcifications, as they can occur in the context of both benign and malignant conditions
Different types of breast detritus
- Macroapoptatelloses or Gross Calcifications are large-sized calcifications of benign origin
- Microapoptatelloses are small-sized calcifications, which depending on their arrangement can be alarming.
- Pleiomorphic calcifications are calcifications of varying shape and form that may also be considered suspicious
- Lobular calcifications develop in the lobules of the gland
- Indopore calcifications occur along the lacteal pores and are considered suspicious
- Dispersed calcifications are isolated calcifications in different parts of the breast and are not a cause for concern
- Clustered calcifications are those that form groups of more than 5 calcifications very close together. They are considered suspicious
What are the causes of breast calcifications?
- Trauma to the breast
- Previous surgery
- Previous breast radiotherapy
- Calcified benign lumps (e.g. Fibroadenomas)
- Calcified blood vessels in the breast
- Calcified skin
- Calcified pores
- Cancerous skin
- Cancer of the ducts
- DCIS early breast cancer
- Cancer of the breast
When are detonations considered suspicious?
- Apotations in a linear arrangement, with or without branching, indicating an intraporeal location
- Apotations confluent rather than scattered
- Micro-apotations rather than coarse apothecia
When detritus is considered suspicious, your doctor will recommend a tissue biopsy for histological identification.
The basic examination for the discovery, study and characterization of detritus is mammography. It readily distinguishes calcifications and if a more detailed study is required, a localized scan can be performed. Breast ultrasound may rarely show calcifications, and especially macrocalcifications rather than suspicious microcalcifications. Breast MRI does not show detritus on breast MRI.
What is stereotactic biopsy?
Since mammography is the most reliable test for highlighting detachments, the most reliable way of biopsy is with mammography guidance. This is called a stereotactic breast biopsy. It is the equivalent of the ultrasound-guided biopsy that we do for breast masses.