Comparison of the Restoration of Breast Feeding after Percutaneous Aspiration vs Incision and Drainage for Management of Breast Abscess

BACKGROUND: Mastitis is not uncommon among lactating woman. This is caused by local inflammation and/or infection of terminal lactiferous ducts. Incision and drainage followed by postoperative antibiotics is the treatment of choice for such abscesses depending on culture and sensitivity. Ultrasound guided needle aspiration is also effective for breast abscesses. OBJECTIVE: To compare the outcome of percutaneous aspiration with incision drainage for management of breast abscess among lactating mothers. METHODOLOGY: This comparative study was carried out at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, Pakistan from August 2015 to August 2016. A total of 90 women with breast abscess were included according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. These women were randomly allocated into two groups. Forty-five in group A, treated with percutaneous aspiration, and 45 patients in group B treated with incision and drainage for breast abscess. Percutaneous aspiration was done after radiological estimation of size, site and shape. After the intervention, all the patients were observed for the outcome parameter i.e. early restoration of breast feeding, as if the mother starts feeding the baby within 24 hours after the procedure All the information was collected on a specially designed Performa. RESULTS: Rate of early restoration of breast feeding was significantly high in group A (percutaneous aspiration) as compared to group B (drainage for breast abscess) [82.2% vs. 57.8%); 0.011]. CONCLUSION: We conclude that percutaneous aspiration of breast abscess is a minimally invasive, simple outpatient procedure without the need of general anesthesia with superior cosmetic results and high satisfaction rate.