• Gökay Çetinkaya, Ramazan Kozan, Ahmet Cihangir Emral, and Ekmel Tezel.
• Department of General Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2021 Aug 1; 190 (3): 1117-1122.

BackgroundIdiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a benign and rare chronic inflammatory disease of the breast with unknown etiology. While there is no consensus regarding its post-diagnosis management, there are different treatment alternatives.AimsIn this study, it was aimed to question the effectiveness of follow-up strategy without administering any treatment.MethodsOne hundred eighteen female patients diagnosed with IGM were retrospectively evaluated. Patients with histopathologically confirmed IGM were included in the study. Medical treatment was given only to patients who did not accept the follow-up option without treatment. The protocol used in steroid therapy was 16 mg prednisolone twice daily for 2 weeks, and then the dose was gradually reduced, and the treatment was stopped after 2 months. Patients were followed up with a physical examination every 3 months. The effectiveness of the systemic corticosteroid treatment and the follow-up approach without any treatment was compared. The recurrence rates and pre-treatment and post-treatment methods of the patients were examined.ResultsWhile 30.5% of the patients recovered with corticosteroid treatment, 42.4% recovered under observation without any treatment. The mean recovery period of the patients in these two groups was calculated as 3.9 months and 5.6 months, respectively. However, no statistically significant difference was found in terms of recovery period (p = 0.064). The recurrence rate was 11.9%.ConclusionFor IGM, the "watch and wait" approach is an effective option. A chance should be given to the self-limiting nature of the disease with the addition of drainage when necessary.© 2020. Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.

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