Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis: successful treatment by mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction

We describe three women with idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM), a rare, benign breast disease. It is a chronic inflammatory lesion of the breast and presents with the clinical symptoms of inflammation, breast mass and tumorous indurations and ulcerations of the skin. Clinical and radiological findings often mimic breast cancer. Histopathologic examination remains the gold standard for the diagnosis. It is a non-malignant entity but it may be both locally aggressive and recurrent. The treatment of choice is unclear, but surgical excision and adjunctive treatment with glucocorticoids or antibiotics is described most frequently. We present three patients with a long history of recurrences that was successfully treated by mastectomy and immediate breast reconstruction.