The "teacup sign": Significance in breast imaging

Taylor A Guth; Asha A Bhatt

doi:10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.110009

The "teacup sign": Significance in breast imaging

Clin Imaging. 2023 Dec:104:110009. doi: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.110009. Epub 2023 Oct 14.

Authors

Taylor A Guth¹, Asha A Bhatt²

Affiliations

¹ University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, 560 Channelside Dr., Tampa, FL 33602, United States of America. Electronic address: taylor236@usf.edu.
² Department of Radiology, Moffitt Cancer Center, 10920 McKinley Dr., Tampa, FL 33612, United States of America.

PMID: 37952484
DOI: 10.1016/j.clinimag.2023.110009

Abstract

Milk of calcium (MOC) is a term used for sedimented calcifications within small cysts (Milk of Calcium - an overview|ScienceDirect Topics, n.d.). MOC in the breast is a benign entity and present in 4-6% of women that undergo diagnostic mammography (Park et al., 2008).² Calcium particles within cysts produce 'teacup'-shaped calcifications on true lateral views, and smudged calcifications on craniocaudal (CC) views (Veloso Gomes et al., n.d.).³ On the CC projection, the calcifications will have a cloudlike or smudgy appearance like tea leaves in the bottom of a teacup (Milk of Calcium - an overview|ScienceDirect Topics, n.d.). Because this is a characteristic benign finding, there is no need for the patient to undergo a biopsy.

Keywords: Breast imaging; Mammography; Milk of calcium; Teacup.

MeSH terms

Breast / diagnostic imaging
Breast / pathology
Breast Diseases* / diagnostic imaging
Breast Diseases* / pathology
Breast Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
Breast Neoplasms* / pathology
Calcinosis* / diagnostic imaging
Calcium Carbonate
Cysts* / pathology
Female
Humans
Mammography

Substances

Calcium Carbonate