Objective: To present our 20 years experience of tuberculosis of the b
reast. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Turkey
. Subjects: 9 women with tuberculous mastitis. Main outcome measure: C
ure. Results: All cases underwent frozen section and excision. One req
uired a simple mastectomy because of the extent of destruction; the re
mainder underwent lumpectomy. All patients were given rifampicin, etha
mbutol, and isoniazid, and the three who had tuberculosis of other org
ans were also treated with streptomycin. Mean follow up was 87 months
(range (6-178) and two patients were lost to follow up, at three and s
ix years, respectively. Histological examination showed the presence o
f tubercle and central caseation in 8 cases and granulomatous infiltra
tion in one. Conclusion: Tuberculous mastitis is rare, and should be s
uspected in any woman with persistent breast abscesses and sinuses, pa
rticularly if she lives in an area from which tuberculosis has not bee
n eradicated. Conservative surgery and antituberculous drugs are the t
reatment of choice.