Mammary glands

Mammary glands – pair ferruterous bodies which at women after the delivery form milk and remain underdeveloped with men.

Structure of mammary glands

The size and form of glands are individual, extents of development of outside sexual characters, a menstrual cycle depend on age. On the front surface of a thorax they are located kpered from big chest and front gear muscles.

Each mammary gland contains 15-25 ferruterous segments divided among themselves by layers of connecting fabric and a fatty tissue in which there pass nerves and vessels. Glands reach a limit with canals which radially meet to a nipple and open on its top. In a final piece of lacteal channels there are expansions – lacteal sine which serve as a peculiar tank for the milk which is formed in alveoluses.

The nipple and peripapillary circle are pigmented and have many nerve terminations. On a peripapillary circle in the form of hillocks sweat and sebaceous glands open. Mammary glands krovosnabzhatsya by an extensive network of vessels.

Research of a mammary gland

Begin studying of body with inquiry about puberty terms, formation of periods, about the number of pregnancies, childbirth whether the woman after the delivery and as long, about hereditary burdeness on tumoral adenoses nursed. The woman can show complaints that the mammary gland hurts or from a nipple there are allocations.

After inquiry the mammary gland is carefully examined in vertical and horizontal position. At survey estimate the size, a form, symmetry of an arrangement of glands, swelling of mammary glands, a condition of a nipple and a peripapillary circle, degree of shift of mammary glands at the movement by hands, vascular network on skin.

The sliding palpation of mammary glands allows to estimate their mobility in relation to skin and the subject fabrics, to reveal pathological allocations from a nipple, deformations of a nipple, consolidation of an areola. The research of the lymph nodes tied with glands – axillary and subclavial is obligatory.

Transillumination of glands helps to find the pathological centers in them. More informative method of a research – ultrasonic, it is recommended to carry out at suspicion of a disease of mammary glands at women to 30 years, at more advanced age mammography is shown. On x-ray films at mammography in case of pathology blackouts which size and an arrangement can be established precisely are found.

Diseases of a mammary gland and approaches to treatment

The following pathological processes can affect a mammary gland:

• Inflammatory and infectious;
• Dishormonal;
• Tumoral;
• Traumatic damages.

Mastitis – an inflammatory disease most of which often develops at women during feeding by a breast. Pathogenic bacteriums (staphylococcus, streptococci, etc.) get into a mammary gland on channels or through nipple cracks, causing in it an inflammation. The disease proceeds against the background of feeling sick of the woman, high temperature of a body, swelling of mammary glands and increase in their size is noted, at palpation consolidations and morbidity are defined. Upon transition of an inflammation to a purulent phase on skin there can be a local reddening and a softening. Treatment of a mammary gland at mastitis is carried out under observation of the surgeon, begin with conservative measures, antibiotics, desintoxication surely join. At purulent mastitis surgical intervention is required.

From other infectious and inflammatory adenoses thrombophlebitis of their venous network, tuberculosis, echinococcosis, etc. meet.

Galactorrhoea – any release of milk from mammary glands. This quite frequent and absolutely physiologic phenomenon at a lactation when at suction of one breast from the second release of milk as a sign of establishment of a lactation at the sufficient level begins. If release of milk happens out of the breastfeeding period, then it is the pathology connected with a hormonal imbalance and strengthened by products of hormone of prolactin. Treatment of mammary glands in this case is based on recovery of hormonal balance, is carried out together with the endocrinologist.

From tumoral diseases of mammary glands allocate high-quality and malignant processes. Carry a fibrous and cystous mastopathy and a fibroadenoma to high-quality. At these states the mammary gland hurts depending on a phase of a menstrual cycle. Treatment at initial stages includes hormonal, homeopathic remedies, surgical intervention with a sectoral resection of a part of gland is required later, removal of a mammary gland entirely, as a rule, is not required.

From malignant defeats cancer is on the first place. In its emergence heredity, age of approach of the first pregnancy, feeding duration a breast, etc. play a role. Danger of cancer of mammary glands consists in bystry distribution of metastasises. The long asymptomatic period results in late detectability of pathology. Most often the tumor is found the woman accidentally, during disguise, washing of a body. Generally process strikes only one gland, in the second there are already tumor metastasises.

Most often nodal and diffusion forms of defeat meet. Nodal cancer is usually localized in the central area and a verkhnenaruzhny quadrant, it is possible to probe mobile dense roundish education with accurate edges. Over it there can be changes of skin in the form of pastosity, "a lemon crust", retraction of a nipple. Diffusion cancer is not probed accurately, at its various versions mobility of skin can decrease, and the mammary gland shrivels and decreases. Crucial importance in diagnosis plays a cytologic and histologic research of a bioptat.

Approaches to therapy of cancer depend on a stage – at early stages perhaps only surgical removal of a mammary gland, in other stages it is required to combine it with beam and chemotherapy.