Fat Necrosis

Breast fat necrosis is a benign inflammatory process. Although it is often considered idiopathic, breast fat necrosis is usually caused by trauma, and many idiopathic cases are probably due to microtrauma. Trauma leading to breast fat necrosis can result from accidents or clinical treatment. Among accidental agents, injury from safety belts in traffic accidents is common. Iatrogenic agents include breast surgery (including incisional biopsy; lumpectomy; breast reduction; breast augmentation by implants or injection of silicone, paraffin, or other exogenous substances; and flap breast construction techniques like TRAM, DIEP, etc. ) and, less frequently, percutaneous procedures (including core biopsy, vacuumassisted core biopsy, or fine-needle aspiration cytology), radiotherapy, and chemical irritation caused by anticoagulants or rupture of cysts or ductal ectasia. Some systemic diseases like panniculitis (Weber-Christian syndrome) have a pathogenesis and imaging manifestations similar to those of fat necrosis.