Assessment of Mammography and Breast Ultrasound in the Diagnosis of Breast Edema

Abstract

The “orange peel” syndrome (or the peau d’orange sign) is a frequent symptom in patients with diffuse breast edema. Breast edema has various causes, among the most important being the breast cancer. This is why a correct diagnosis is mandatory. The aim of the study was to evaluate the role of mammography and ultrasound in thirty-nine patients presenting with diffuse breast edema and peau d’orange. The results showed an overall sensibility and specificity of 0.8333 and 0.8095 for ultrasound compared to 0.6111 and 0.9048 for mammography. We recommend that all patients with diffuse edema should be first evaluated with ultrasound. In those cases of negative examination, the mammography should be the next step in order to assess the presence or the absence of microcalcifications.