Galactocele or milk cyst: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

A galactocele or milk cyst is a variety of mass that appears almost exclusively in breastfeeding women. It is taken into account benign, so it shouldn’t be a cause for concern. In fact, more often than not it resolves itself.

However, its appearance is comparatively frequent and corresponds to 4% of medical consultations of breastfeeding women. In any case, it’s advisable to seek the advice of the doctor to exclude the presence of other abnormalities. Do you ought to know more?

What is a galactocele?

Galactocele is defined as an accumulation of milk fat outside the milk ducts. This causes a small cyst to form, which is retained within the breast and has no exit through the nipple.

It is a benign lesion that appears mainly in breastfeeding women. It can even occur while pregnant. However, most frequently it occurs during withdrawal. A couple of cases have been detected after breast augmentation surgeries.

The condition can also be often called “lactocele” or “milk cyst.” It is listed as probably the most common breast injury during breastfeeding. Often it’s situated within the retroareolar region of 1 or each breasts.

Why does it occur?

Several causes can explain the event of a galactocele. For this reason, it’s vital to investigate each individual case. Most often it’s the effect of a hormonal imbalance which causes alterations in milk production and its isolation.

Thus, excessive milk synthesis, related to a drop within the hormones prolactin and oxytocin, related to contraction of muscle fibers, causes galactocele. It is common for all of those aspects to return together during or after withdrawal.

The whole thing causes the buildup of milk in a mammary duct. Then, the body reabsorbs the liquid part and only the fat stays concentrated, which causes a blockage and the looks of the lump. There is a greater risk of experiencing this problem in the next cases:

• When there are difficulties breastfeeding. For example, if the infant has a cleft palate.
• If breastfeeding is contraindicated by abnormalities in the infant, since the mother has an infectious disease or is taking medications that pose a risk to her child.
• Women taking contraception pills.
• Previous mastitis.
• Previous injuries that left scars within the canals.
• Women with cracked nipples.

Symptoms of galactocele

The milk cyst looks like a rounded bulge. It is often small, but will be of various sizes. Sometimes it is just not even noticeable and doesn’t cause any discomfort or symptoms.

When it grows and is visible, we feel it like a smooth mass under the fingers. It is mobile and doesn’t cause pain or, if it does, it is rather light. If the breast is squeezed, milk may come out of the nipple, but without blood or other components.

The commonest is that it’s detected a couple of days before menstruation. If complications arise, comparable to infectious process other symptoms will appear, comparable to :

• Fever.
• Intense pain on palpation.
• Inflammation of neighboring nodes.

Generally, a galactocele doesn’t affect lactation. This injury is just not dangerous, but it could actually be uncomfortable. Only whether it is situated near the nipple can it interfere with the flow of milk and it’s common for this to annoy the infant. In other cases, this is just not an issue.

Diagnostic

Whenever a lump appears within the breast, a physician needs to be consulted. A girl is just not capable of determine whether this mass is a galactocele or not. Therefore, it’s advisable to seek the advice of knowledgeable to offer an accurate diagnosis.

The doctor will most probably conduct an initial interview, then a physical examination. He will check the form and size of the bulge, in addition to the response it produces when palpated.

After that, it’s common for him to order tests to verify the diagnosis, especially if there are doubts. The tests utilized in these cases are:

• Ultrasound of the mammary glands.
• Mammography.
• Tomography of the mammary glands.
• Magnetic resonance.

Galactocele Treatment

And principle, galactocele advantages from conservative treatment. If the cyst is small, shows no signs of growth, and doesn’t cause discomfort, it is common that nothing is completed except follow-up. Often the mass disappears by itself.

If the cyst grows or causes discomfort, drug treatment could also be chosen. The usual thing is that medications are prescribed to inhibit milk secretion. This mechanism is mostly used when the issue occurs after weaning.

In some occasions it’s vital to present surgical procedure. In particular, when its growth could be very rapid or causes a whole lot of discomfort. This will be of two types:

• Biopsie mini-invasive. A skinny needle is inserted into the cyst and its contents are suctioned out. It can also be possible that a substance is injected to connect two ducts together and encourage the exit of the cyst contents.
• Open surgery. The objective is to remove the cyst without altering its integrity. This variety of surgery is performed when the lump could be very large or there are doubts whether it’s benign or not.

Final Recommendations

Galactocele has a superb prognosis. It almost all the time resolves by itself and doesn’t cause major inconvenience. No relationship has been reported between this condition and cancer risk.

That said, it’s also vital to notice that this condition can change into complicated if not taken care of in time. The biggest risk is infection which sometimes results in mastitis. Therefore, this all the time warrants a consultation with the doctor.