A 34-year-old woman presents with a tender, cord-like structure in the lower outer quadrant of the left breast extending toward the epigastrium, noticed two weeks after she began an intensive gym programme. There is no lump, no discharge, and the overlying skin shows mild redness along the cord. Which structure is classically involved?

• A Lactiferous sinus
• B Cephalic vein
• C Internal mammary artery perforators
• D Thoracoepigastric vein ✓

Explanation

This is Mondor's disease, a thrombophlebitis of the superficial veins of the anterolateral chest wall, most commonly the thoracoepigastric vein, sometimes with lateral thoracic or superior epigastric tributaries. It presents as a tender cord, often after exertion, trauma or surgery, and is self-limiting with analgesia. The cephalic vein lies in the deltopectoral groove and the internal mammary vessels are deep to the costal cartilages, neither producing this classic subcutaneous cord.

Reference: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.