Ductoscopy manifestations of chronic inflammation in breast ducts

The incidence of breast diseases has been relatively high in recent years. Breast diseases seriously threaten women's health. When these breast diseases occur, it is necessary to go to the hospital for regular examinations in time. For example, ductoscopy is a common method of examining breast diseases. For example, nipple overflow, plasma cell mastitis around the areola, etc. Let us learn about this aspect below.

1. For patients with various nipple discharges, especially those with bloody or yellow discharges, the incidence of tumorous lesions in the milk ducts is about 1/3 to 1/2. In addition, many patients with white discharges are also caused by tumors in the milk ducts, and all of them need surgical treatment after ductoscopy.

2. Tumors in the areola area with nipple discharge. Most tumors in this area are intraductal tumors or fibroadenomas, which are closely related to the milk ducts. Ductoscopy can identify the diseased milk ducts, thereby guiding the surgery to accurately remove the tumor and the diseased milk ducts, reducing the chance of local recurrence after surgery;

3. Patients with plasma cell mastitis around the areola. Plasma cell mastitis is caused by proximal plugging of the milk duct, accumulation of secretions, desquamated cells, and inflammatory cells in the milk duct, resulting in acute and chronic inflammation of the breast. Ductoscopy can irrigate and collect the exfoliated cells in the milk ducts, perform cytological examinations, and confirm the diagnosis. It can also flush and dredge the diseased milk ducts to achieve the purpose of drainage. In addition, if the inflammation is relatively localized, the diseased milk ducts can be identified under the ductoscopy, and the diseased milk ducts and local scar tissue can be surgically removed.

4. Mastodynia is a type of breast hyperplasia, partly due to the blockage of the proximal milk duct, which makes the distal milk duct difficult to drain and twisted. Milk duct lavage and milk duct dredging under a ductoscope can help to clarify the diagnosis and achieve a certain therapeutic effect.

5. For patients with milk cysts, symptoms can be improved after unblocking the milk ducts.

Duct endoscopy is a procedure in which an endoscope with a diameter of 0.75mm (0.6mm or 0.95mm) is inserted into the opening of the mammary duct and the end of the mammary duct is probed toward the end while observing the situation inside the mammary duct through a medical monitor. The farthest that can be reached is the fourth or fifth duct branch. The entire examination process takes about 10 to 15 minutes. No local anesthetic injection is required and the patient does not feel any pain or discomfort.