What Can Computed Tomography Scans of the Thorax Show after Breast Surgery?

Background: Postoperative breast abnormalities after breast conservingsurgery or modified radical mastectomy are frequently overlooked andinaccurately assessed or reported using multidetector computed tomography(MDCT). These inaccurate results may have legal ramifications for the clinicians,cause patients avoidable anxiety, and lead to additional unnecessary diagnosticfollow-up testing and costs.Methods: The patients with a history of breast cancer who had undergonebreast-conserving surgery or modified radical mastectomy up to ۶ months prior toundergoing a thoracic MDCT scan consented and enrolled in this study. Thesepatients underwent a thoracic MDCT scan either because of respiratory or cardiacclinical symptoms or as part of breast cancer staging.Results: Forty women were included in this study. Different postoperativebreast changes observed on thoracicMDCTscans including fibrous scar tissue, fatnecrosis, seroma, abscess, hematoma, and recurrent and residual tumor weredescribed.Conclusions: MDCT scans offer sufficient evidence in many postoperativecases to allow a confident diagnosis. General radiologists who review thoracicMDCTscans should know how to characterize breast lesions incidentally found onMDCT scans after breast surgeries. This information would enhance the value ofthe radiologist’s report for appropriate case management.