A 52-year-old perimenopausal woman presents with a greenish-brown, multiductal nipple discharge that is often bilateral and associated with cyclical breast pain. On examination, there is no discrete lump. Which of the following is the most likely diagnosis?
- A Duct ectasia ✓
- B Fibrocystic disease
- C Duct papilloma
- D Paget disease of the nipple
Correct answer: A. Duct ectasia
Explanation
Duct ectasia presents with multiductal, greenish-brown discharge, often bilateral, due to dilation of subareolar ducts with periductal inflammation. It is a benign condition. Duct papilloma typically causes unilateral bloody discharge from a single duct. Fibrocystic disease causes cyclical pain but not typically green multiductal discharge. Paget disease causes nipple eczema and ulceration, not multiductal discharge.
Reference: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 28th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.