Endocrine Abstracts

Foreign bodies represent a rare cause of granulomatous mastitis. In the last three years we diagnosed three women with granulomatous mastitis consecutive to exposure at building materials containing glass fibers. All of them were young (21–34 years), with regular menses, without any pathological histories and were admitted to our hospital for bilateral galactorrhea spontaneous in one case and by squeezing the nipple in the other two cases. Clinical and ultrasonographic evaluations revealed no breast nodules. Serum prolactin levels were normal or slightly elevated. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was moderately increased. Histological examination of the breast secretion showed ductular epithelial hyperplasia with intracellular, intragranulomatous and extracellular needle-like birefringent fibers. Theese were appreciated as glass fibers originating from the recent building sites in their dwellings neighbourhood.

Nonsteroidal antiinflamatory drugs were the treatment of choise. Dopamin agonists were avoided in order to enable needle-like foreign bodies drainage.

In conclusion, the breast behaves like an isolation and evacuation organ of the needle-like foreign bodies that can be absorbed at the lung and skin level and partially discharged through milk-like secretion, causing ductular epithelial hyperplasia and granulomatous giant cells reactions.

We emphasize the importance of breast secretion cytologic examination in the differential diagnosis of galactorrhea.