Evaluation of the Relationship between Breast Duct Diameter Measured by Ultrasonography and Mastalgia in Postmenopausal Patients

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between mastalgia, which is an important health problem in women, and breast duct diameter using ultrasonography (US). Methods: The study was planned prospectively. A total of 40 postmenopausal patients who were referred to our clinic due to unilateral breast pain were included in the study. Before the US examination, the patients were asked to score pain levels from 0 (no pain) to 100 (worst pain) according to the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Results: The mean age of the patients was 56 (range 40-77) years. The mean diameter of the duct was 1.77±0.59 mm for the side with pain and 1.08±0.36 mm for the other side. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.001). There were a statistically significant positive correlation between both the duct diameter and symptom duration (r=0.514, p=0.007) and between the duct diameter and VAS score (r=0.684, p<0.001). Conclusion: In this study, the relationship between mastalgia and duct diameter was shown, but more comprehensive studies on this subject can shed further light on the etiopathogenesis of mastalgia.