Objective:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the pre-treatment and post-treatment thermography images of patients who received steroid treatment with a diagnosis of granulomatous mastitis, and to determine whether the thermography device is an effective imaging method in the follow-up.

Method:

This retrospective study was conducted by the Breast Surgery Working Group of Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, Department of General Surgery. Fifteen patients who applied to the center between January 1, 2013 and May 31, 2015, and received steroid treatment due to granulomatous mastitis were included in the study. Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging (DITI) results at the beginning and end of the treatment were compared.

Results:

The mean age of the patients was 34.6±8.0 years with a range of 22-50 years. Mean values of DITI before steroid treatment of the inflamed area was 34.3±0.7°C which was significantly higher than the post-treatment mean DITI (31.1±1.1°C). The mean pre-treatment, and post-treatment DITI values recorded in healthy breasts were 30.1±1.3°C and 29.6±1.1°C, respectively. The DITI values of patients with granulomatous mastitis were significantly higher than the results of the healthy group, both before and after treatment. In the pre-treatment DITI measurements, the thermographic image demonstrated a discerning septal image which was considered to show the region where inflammation was severe. The appearance of this ‘serpentine’ image, which was detected in 8 patients before the treatment, disappeared as a result of treatment.

Conclusion:

Systemic steroid treatment is an effective option in the treatment of patients with granulomatous mastitis, and our results have shown that DITI can be used in the follow-up of response to treatment.

Keywords: Granulomatous mastitis, systemic steroid treatment, response to treatment, digital infrared tranformation inductor