Paget's disease of the nipple diagnosed by MRI.

BACKGROUND: Paget's disease of the breast is a rare manifestation of breast carcinoma. CASE REPORT: The patient presented with a red lesion of the left nipple-areola complex. Breast physical examination, ultrasonography and mammography were normal bilaterally. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correctly depicted Paget's disease of the nipple. Before surgery the patient underwent biopsy of the lesion that showed Paget's disease of the breast associated with an underlying ductal carcinoma in situ. The patient underwent left mastectomy and unilateral axillary lymph node dissection. The patient refused the breast-conserving surgery because she was afraid that she could have a recurrence of the carcinoma. Microscopy of the lesion confirmed the MRI diagnosis.
CONCLUSION: MRI was very useful and accurate to diagnose Paget's disease of the breast without palpable mass, ultrasonographic and mammographic findings.