Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be

going through Mamory Ducked Xasia. You can find written notes on this topic as always at

zero definals.com slash mammary duct actctasia or in the breast surgery section of the zero

de finals surgery book. So let's get straight into it. Mammary duct ectasia is a benign condition

where there's dilation of the large ducts in the breasts. Ecasia means dilation. There's inflammation in the ducts which leads to intermittent discharge

from the nipple. The discharge may be white, grey or green. Memory duct dictasia most

frequently occurs in perimenopausal women and smoking is a significant risk factor.

Let's talk about the presentation.

Mamary duct dictasia may present with nipple discharge, tenderness or pain,

nipple retraction or inversion, and a breast lump.

And pressure on this breast lump may produce nipple discharge.

Mamory ductaxasia may also be asymptomatic and incidentally picked up on a mammogram

leading to further assessment and investigations.

Let's talk about the diagnosis.

The initial priority is to exclude breast cancer, as this can present in a similar way.

This involves triple assessment with clinical assessment with a history and examination,

imaging with an ultrasound, mammogram or MRI scan, and histology,

which may be by a fine needle aspiration or core biopsy.

Microcalcifications are a key finding to remember that can be seen on a mammogram in patients

with mammary duct ectasia, although they're not specific to this condition.

Other investigations that may be performed are ductography,

which involves injecting contrast into an abnormal duct

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