Asymmetry in breast size
Asymmetry in breast size can arise from a number of factors.
Pathology
Breasts are rarely absolutely the same size or volume. Normal variation is common. Most females have slight discrepancies in breast size. Asymmetric progressive breast enlargement is unusual but known. The role of the breast imaging is to exclude an underlying pathology.
Physiological changes occur at puberty in both genders. Asymmetry in males is usually as a result of gynecomastia.
Etiology
- developing occult malignancy
- normal variant
- post radiation hypoplasia of the breast 2
- post surgical breast: lumpectomy on the smaller side
- previous chest wall trauma
- congenital
- Poland syndrome
Related Radiopaedia articles
Breast imaging and pathology
- breast screening
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mammography
- breast imaging and the technologist
- forbidden (check) areas in mammography
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mammography views
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- mediolateral oblique view
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- lateromedial oblique view
- late mediolateral view
- step oblique views
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- double spot compression view
- magnification view
- exaggerated craniocaudal (axillary) view
- cleavage view
- tangential views
- caudocranial view
- bullseye CC view
- rolled CC view
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- caudal cranial projection
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- inferomedial superolateral oblique projection
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- normal breast imaging examples
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breast cancer
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- gamuts
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breast cancer
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- gynaecomastia
- lymphocytic mastitis
- mammary fibromatosis
- oil cyst
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- post-surgical breast scar
- post-traumatic fibrosis
- pseudoangiomatous stromal hyperplasia (PASH)
- pseudogynaecomastia
- tubular adenoma
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breast calcifications (approach)
- morphology
- distribution
- location
- lobular calcification within breast tissue
- intraductal calcification within breast tissue
- milk of calcium within a breast cyst
- vascular calcification in breast tissue
- skin (dermal) calcification in / around breast tissue
- suture calcification within breast tissue
- stromal calcification within breast tissue
- artifactual calcification from outside the breast
- suspicious breast calcifications
- infection/inflammation
- vascular lesions
- systemic disease
- gamuts
- classification systems
- malignant lesions
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