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Eur J Cardiothorac Surg 2002;22:324-326
© 2002 Elsevier Science NL

Case report

Breast mass caused by rib tuberculosis abscess

Atilla Erolu^a*, Can Kürkçüolu^a, Nurettin Karaolanolu^a, Hasan Kaynar^b

^a Department of Thoracic Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey
^b Department of Chest Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey

Received 9 January 2002; received in revised form 29 April 2002; accepted 14 May 2002.

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90-442-316-6333/2182; fax: +90-442-316-6340
e-mail: atilaeroglu{at}hotmail.com

Tuberculosis involving ribs and presenting with breast mass is a very rare entity and only a few cases have been reported in the literature previously. A 35 year-old patient had a retromammarial abscess revealed by a mass in the medial quadrant of right breast. Midsternal incision for abscess drainage and a partial resection of involved ribs was performed. Histopathologic evaluation revealed rib tuberculosis and secondary abscess formation in the right breast. This unusual manifestation of tuberculosis should be included in differential diagnosis of high-risk patients presenting with a breast mass.

Key Words: Rib tuberculosis • Breast mass • Tuberculosis abscess