Background: The axilla is the most common site for accessory breasts. Although they may be asymptomatic, axillary accessory breasts can cause cosmetic concerns, pain, or restriction in arm movements. The radiological methods used for diagnosis include ultrasonography and MRI. The main concerns about the surgical treatment of accessory breasts are leaving any breast tissue unresected and cosmetic problems resulting from a bad scar or contour deformities.
Objective: To evaluate the surgical outcome after excision of prominent accessory breast in the axilla.
Patients and Methods: The current study included 50 female patients, presented to Al-Azhar University Hospitals, in Cairo, for elective excision of uncomplicated axillary accessory breast, in which an axillary swelling was noticed by themselves following pregnancy and lactation, during the period from May 2019 till April 2020. Their ages ranged from ranged between 18-40 years with a mean of 28.76 ± 5.7 years.
Results: The local examination of the axillary breast revealed that its size ranged between 4-10 cm with a mean of 6.8 ± 2.3 cm. Consistency was firm in 40% of patients, hard in 40% of patients and soft in 20% of patients, fixed in 40% of patients and mobile in 60% of them, with an extension beyond the axilla in 40% of cases, whereas no extension was found in 60% of cases. Ultrasound examination of the axillary breast revealed that the mass was hyper-echoic in 60% of patients and hypo-echoic in 40% of them. Size ranged between 5-12 cm with a mean of 8 ± 2.6 cm. Wound healing was good in 82% of patients and was delayed in 18% of them. It was affected by hemoglobin level, but not with albumin level. Postoperative complications ranged from mild scar hypertrophy in 3 patients (6%), medial arm pain in 2 patients (4%), allergy to sticking plaster in 2 patients (4%), and hematoma in 1 patient (2%).
Conclusion: Proper surgical excision provided numerous advantages as an option in treating an accessory axillary breast with virtually no postoperative complications.