Mastitis is an infection or inflammatory condition of the breast that most commonly occurs in women who are breastfeeding, though it can also occur in non-lactating individuals. Symptoms include breast pain, swelling, warmth, and redness, often accompanied by fever. On ultrasound, mastitis may appear as areas of skin thickening, increased echogenicity of the subcutaneous fat, and diffuse edema in the breast tissue. The primary role of sonography in mastitis is to determine whether an abscess has formed, which would appear as a focal fluid collection that may need to be drained. Ultrasound can also guide needle aspiration or drainage of breast abscesses.
Sonography Term