Iatrogenic Endometriosis of the Breast Mimicking Fat Necrosis: A Case Report

Int J Surg Pathol. 2023 Sep 16:10668969231201416. doi: 10.1177/10668969231201416. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

A female patient with a history of ductal carcinoma in situ in the left breast, status-post bilateral mastectomy with deep inferior epigastric perforator artery flap reconstructive surgery, presented with a right breast asymmetry concerning for fat necrosis. Histological analysis revealed the presence of benign glands and associated stroma within fibroadipose tissue, confirmed as endometriosis by immunohistochemical analysis. Further investigation revealed that the patient had a previous diagnosis of endometriosis associated with a cesarean section scar that likely seeded the ectopic endometrial glands into a tertiary site by utilizing abdominal tissue that may have harbored endometriosis.

Keywords: fat necrosis; iatrogenic endometriosis; reconstructive surgery.