Introduction.
The breast, also known as the mammary or modified sweat gland, is an organ located on both sides of the anterior thoracic region and for purpose of reference, referred to as the right and left breast. It is usually rudimentary in males, but in females, its enlargement could span between the second and sixth rib where it serves as the organ for lactation (Moore et al. 2013; Standring ed. 2015).
Though the breast is seen as an organ on the anterior chest wall, a small proportion of the female breast distinctively extends to the axilla, adopting the name axillary tail which creates a link between the axilla and the breast. The axilla also called the armpit is a pyramidal space with its floor composed of skin (Standring ed. 2015) …show more content…
This comprises the ribcage, muscles, skin and fascia.
The clavicle is found at the junction of the thorax and the neck, its medial end joins the manubrium of the sternum which sits subcutaneously in the anterior median line (Soltanian & Brown 2016).
The manubrium is the broad part of the sternum, which joins the body of the sternum, clavicles and cartilages of the first pair of ribs. The sternal angle, body, xiphisternal joint and the xiphoid process are the remaining segments of the sternum (Moore et al. 2013).
The breast overlies the muscles encasing the chest wall. These include; pectoralis major, the major muscle of the chest extending from its origin in the medial clavicle and lateral sternum to the humerus, and the pectoralis minor, the serratus anterior which underlies the lateral part of the breast, and runs anterolaterally on the chest wall, the rectus abdominis which divides the inferior border of the breast ,and the external oblique which runs along the anterolateral part of the abdomen and chest wall, and then touches the breast inferolaterally (Soltanian & Brown 2016) .
Breast lesions
Though sometimes asymptomatic, lesions are clinical presentation of breast disease. Breast lumps may be benign or malignant (Halls …show more content…
www.breast-cancer.ca
Duct ectasia: are variable in appearance and range from single fluid-filled tube-like structures to multiple tube-like structures (Gokhale 2009)
Image showing duct ectasia. A – Longitudinal section of dilated duct. B – Cross-section of intraductal debris. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Cytosarcoma phyllodes: Seen in older women, is sometimes considered a giant fibroadenoma and may involve entire breast. It usually presents with well-defined margins, heterogenous echostructure and sometimes different cystic areas. It is generally considered benign as malignancy is unlikely (Gokhale 2009).
Image depicting Cytosarcoma phyllodes www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Lipoma: This slowly growing lesion might go undetected as it might not have a palpable mass, is generally soft and on ultrasound can be deformed by transducer pressure. A thin capsule encloses its lamellar looking echogenic structure (Gokhale 2009).
Sagittal extended view of a Lipoma. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Malignant lesions: appear hypoechoic with greater length than width, inexplicit borders, spiky extensions, microcalcifications and a posterior acoustic shadow (Gokhale
The breast, also known as the mammary or modified sweat gland, is an organ located on both sides of the anterior thoracic region and for purpose of reference, referred to as the right and left breast. It is usually rudimentary in males, but in females, its enlargement could span between the second and sixth rib where it serves as the organ for lactation (Moore et al. 2013; Standring ed. 2015).
Though the breast is seen as an organ on the anterior chest wall, a small proportion of the female breast distinctively extends to the axilla, adopting the name axillary tail which creates a link between the axilla and the breast. The axilla also called the armpit is a pyramidal space with its floor composed of skin (Standring ed. 2015) …show more content…
This comprises the ribcage, muscles, skin and fascia.
The clavicle is found at the junction of the thorax and the neck, its medial end joins the manubrium of the sternum which sits subcutaneously in the anterior median line (Soltanian & Brown 2016).
The manubrium is the broad part of the sternum, which joins the body of the sternum, clavicles and cartilages of the first pair of ribs. The sternal angle, body, xiphisternal joint and the xiphoid process are the remaining segments of the sternum (Moore et al. 2013).
The breast overlies the muscles encasing the chest wall. These include; pectoralis major, the major muscle of the chest extending from its origin in the medial clavicle and lateral sternum to the humerus, and the pectoralis minor, the serratus anterior which underlies the lateral part of the breast, and runs anterolaterally on the chest wall, the rectus abdominis which divides the inferior border of the breast ,and the external oblique which runs along the anterolateral part of the abdomen and chest wall, and then touches the breast inferolaterally (Soltanian & Brown 2016) .
Breast lesions
Though sometimes asymptomatic, lesions are clinical presentation of breast disease. Breast lumps may be benign or malignant (Halls …show more content…
www.breast-cancer.ca
Duct ectasia: are variable in appearance and range from single fluid-filled tube-like structures to multiple tube-like structures (Gokhale 2009)
Image showing duct ectasia. A – Longitudinal section of dilated duct. B – Cross-section of intraductal debris. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Cytosarcoma phyllodes: Seen in older women, is sometimes considered a giant fibroadenoma and may involve entire breast. It usually presents with well-defined margins, heterogenous echostructure and sometimes different cystic areas. It is generally considered benign as malignancy is unlikely (Gokhale 2009).
Image depicting Cytosarcoma phyllodes www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Lipoma: This slowly growing lesion might go undetected as it might not have a palpable mass, is generally soft and on ultrasound can be deformed by transducer pressure. A thin capsule encloses its lamellar looking echogenic structure (Gokhale 2009).
Sagittal extended view of a Lipoma. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Malignant lesions: appear hypoechoic with greater length than width, inexplicit borders, spiky extensions, microcalcifications and a posterior acoustic shadow (Gokhale