Feasibility of percutaneous needle aspiration for the treatment of breast abscesses

Abstract

Objective: To assess the feasibility and effectiveness of percutaneous needle aspiration under local anesthesia for the treatment of acute breast abscesses in the outpatient breast clinic. Design: A retrospective study of forty three female patients with acute breast abscesses. Setting: Breast clinic in Al Jamhoory teaching hospital in Mosul between February 2004 to February 2007. Methods: Forty three patients with acute breast abscesses were studied. Special enquiries were made regarding lactation, symptomatology and sites of abscesses. All patients had preliminary breast ultrasound (U/S) examination. In the breast clinic, percutaneous needle aspiration of pus under local anesthesia was done followed by systemic antibiotic therapy. Repeated aspiration was carried out later when deemed necessary and follow up by (U/S) was conducted. Results: Forty three patients aged between 16-75 years (mean 37 years) having a provisional diagnosis of acute breast abscesses. All patients presented with a palpable tender mass, of which 4 patients had retroareolar abscesses. All patients had (U/S) of breast. Five patients were found on breast U/S to have inflammation without evidence of focal pus and they only required antibiotics. Four patients refused aspiration and underwent primary incision and drainage under general anesthesia (GA), while in two patients the abscesses were pointing and opened spontaneously before intervention, and they settled with wound toilet and antibiotics alone. The remaining thirty two patients had their abscesses aspirated, and the treatment was successful in twenty nine patients (91%) with no complications or recurrence. The treatment failed in three patients who required subsequent incision and drainage. Conclusions: Percutaneous needle aspiration of acute small unilocular breast abscesses after prior breast (U/S) followed by systemic broad spectrum antibiotics is successful, when the abscesses are completely drained. The use of this modality of the treatment has still not found wide application in our locality. This study is an attempt to recommend its use wherever facilities exist for its feasibility, low cost, no interruption with lactation and better cosmesis, though incision and drainage still may be necessary for definitive treatment for large or multilocular abscesses.