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Breast Abscess
Breast abscess, a fairly common form of abscess, occurs in the tissue of the breast; this is seen most often in post-partum women and in nursing mothers. Most of these abscesses are due to an invasion of the breast tissue by skin organisms which either enter via some minute crack in the nipple or work their way down through the breast duct
system. A breast abscess manifests itself as a warm tender swelling, sometimes accompanied by chills or fever. It may respond to local compresses and antibiotics by mouth. If it does not, the swelling will continue and may become fluctuant (soft), at which point an incision to produce drainage may be necessary. Once drainage is established, the abscess empties itself
and healing generally occurs without incident. |
Medical Definitions with Pictures