TRAUMATIC ARTERIAL DAMAGE AFTER FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATIONAL CYTOLOGY IN MAMMARY COMPLEX SCLEROSING LESIONS

We retrospectively reviewed 107 consecutive cases of radial scar and c omplex sclerosing lesions in a 54 month period seeking vascular lesion s using archival H & E stained 5 mu m thick sections. Eight showed vas cular abnormalities, five being false aneurysms which were limited to 62 lesions >10 mm diameter; no false aneurysm was found in 45 radial s cars less than or equal to 10 mm, All cases displayed arterial lesions , but two also showed associated venous fibrosis. Traumatic false aneu rysms with loss or severe thinning of the media and intimal, medial or extravascular spindle cell proliferation were found in the arteries o f five cases with histological evidence of local reaction to previous fine-needle aspirational biopsy and clinical documentation of aspirati on 18 to 121 days before, The diameters of the false aneurysms correla ted with the original widths of the arteries, The other lesions with m ature intimal fibrosis in arteries or veins lacked such local post-asp iration expansile reactive changes, or a history of fine needle aspira tion, We conclude that traumatic false aneurysms found in complex scle rosing lesions seem to be iatrogenic, resulting from fine needle aspir ation. Mature fibrosis in veins or arteries are probably unrelated pro cesses.