Ultrasound-Guided Percutaneous Catheter Drainage of Large Breast Abscesses in Lactating Women: How to Preserve Breastfeeding Safely

Introduction: Management of breast abscess in lactating women remains controversial. During pregnancy, women may develop different kinds of benign breast lesions that could require a surgical incision performed under general anesthesia with consequent breastfeeding interruption. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the management of large breast abscesses with ultrasound-assisted drainage aiming at breastfeeding preservation. Materials and Methods: 34 lactating women with a diagnosis of unilateral breast abscess have been treated with an ultrasound (US)-assisted drainage of the abscess. A pigtail catheter was inserted into the fluid collection using the Seldinger technique under US guide and connected to a three stop way to allow drainage and irrigation of the cavity until its resolution. Results: All procedures have been found safe and well tolerated. No recurrence was observed and breastfeeding was never interrupted. Conclusions: The described technique allows to avoid surgery and to preserve breastfeeding in well-selected patients with a safe, well-tolerated and cost-effective procedure.