Routine mammography in a 55-year-old woman shows diffuse bilateral skin thickening, trabecular thickening, and axillary lymphadenopathy WITHOUT a discrete mass. The most common cause of bilateral diffuse mammographic skin thickening is:
- A Bilateral inflammatory breast carcinoma
- B Lymphoma involving the breast
- C Cardiac failure or other causes of oedema ✓
- D Bilateral mastitis
Correct answer: C. Cardiac failure or other causes of oedema
Explanation
Bilateral diffuse skin thickening on mammography, when symmetrical and without a discrete mass, is most commonly caused by systemic conditions causing oedema — heart failure, hypoproteinaemia, renal failure, or bilateral axillary lymph node obstruction. Inflammatory breast carcinoma causes unilateral skin thickening. Bilateral mastitis is unusual in non-lactating women. Lymphoma can involve the breast but bilateral involvement causing skin thickening is rare. Symmetrical bilateral changes strongly suggest a systemic rather than local aetiology.
Reference: Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology, 7th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.