Cholesterol granuloma of the breast presenting as an intracystic papilloma.

Abstract

Cholesterol granuloma of the breast is a rare benign condition. It is often clinically and radiologically indistinguishable from breast carcinoma. A case of cholesterol granuloma which manifested as an intracystic papilloma on ultrasound is described. This unusual ultrasonographic appearance has not previously been reported.

The Unusual Ultrasound Features of a Breast Cholesterol Granuloma Manifesting as an Intracystic Mass: Case Report and Literature Review

“…A few cases of cholesterol granuloma of the breast have been reported: in 5 cases, the ultrasonographic findings were described (1-5); in 4 cases, a solid nodule mimicked breast cancer (1-4); and in one case, the patient presented with an intracystic mass, similar to our case (5). Smith et al (5) described a large cyst with a 2 cm papillomatous mass within the cyst. In our case, the cholesterol granuloma appeared as a 5 cm complex echoic mass with a 2 cm intracystic, solid lesion.…”

“…Few studies describe the imaging findings of cholesterol granuloma (1-4), and only one case has been reported in the English literature: a cholesterol granuloma presenting as an intracystic mass (5). We present a similar case, a cholesterol granuloma presenting as an intracystic mass, appearing to be a papillary neoplasm by ultrasonography.…”

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“…[2][3][4] According to these reports, the clinical features of this disorder were diverse (Table 1). [2][3][4] According to these reports, the clinical features of this disorder were diverse (Table 1).…”

“…[2][3][4] In this report, we describe a case of cholesterol granuloma with the imaging findings. In rare instances, the mass microscopically contains numerous cholesterol crystals and, hence, is termed a cholesterol granuloma.…”

Sonographic appearance of a cholesterol granuloma mimicking breast cancer

“…A cholesterol granuloma is histologically characterized by fibrous granulation tissue containing abundant cholesterol crystals with surrounding foreign body giant cells . These masses commonly occur in the mastoid region and the middle ear cavity, as well as in various organs such as the kidneys, testes, peritoneum, parotid glands, lymph nodes, and thyroglossal duct . However, they rarely occur in the breast.…”