{{Short description|Form of breast imaging}} {{Infobox diagnostic | name = Galactography | image = Full-field digital (FFD)-galactography and Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)-galactography.png | alt = | caption = Full-field digital (FFD)-galactography (left) and Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT)-galactography (right) showing [[intraductal papilloma]]. | pronounce = | purpose =diagnostic procedure for viewing the milk ducts. | test of = | based on = | synonyms = Ductography | reference_range = | calculator = | DiseasesDB = <!--{{DiseasesDB2|numeric_id}}--> | ICD10 = <!--{{ICD10|Group|Major|minor|LinkGroup|LinkMajor}} or {{ICD10PCS|code|char1/char2/char3/char4}}--> | ICD9 = | ICDO = | MedlinePlus = <!--article_number--> | eMedicine = <!--article_number--> | MeshID = | OPS301 = <!--{{OPS301|code}}--> | LOINC = <!--{{LOINC|code}}--> }} '''Galactography''' or '''ductography''' (or ''galactogram'', ''ductogram'') is a medical diagnostic procedure for viewing the [[milk ducts]]. The procedure involves the [[radiography]] of the ducts after injection of a radiopaque substance into the duct system through the nipple. The procedure is used for investigating the pathology of [[nipple discharge]].
Galactography is capable of detecting smaller abnormalities than [[mammogram]]s, [[MRI]] or [[ultrasound]] tests. With galactography, a larger part of the ductal system can be visualized than with the endoscopic investigation of a duct (called galactoscopy or [[ductoscopy]]).
Causes for nipple discharge include [[duct ectasia]], [[intraductal papilloma]], and occasionally [[ductal carcinoma in situ]] or [[invasive ductal carcinoma]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=William E. G. Thomas|author2=Norbert Senninger|title=Short Stay Surgery|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=98ayAtsiasMC&pg=PA136|date=1 February 2008|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-540-69028-3|pages=136}}</ref>
The standard treatment of galactographically suspicious breast lesions is to perform a surgical intervention on the concerned duct or ducts: if the discharge clearly stems from a single duct, then the excision of the duct ([[microdochectomy]]) is indicated;<ref name="RawlinsonAlderson2010-p219">{{cite book|author1=Nigel Rawlinson|author2=Derek Alderson|title=Surgery: Diagnosis and Management|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fxbDsuew0IkC&pg=PA219|date=29 September 2010|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-4443-9122-0|pages=219}}</ref> if the discharge comes from several ducts or if no specific duct could be determined, then a subareolar resection of the ducts ([[Hadfield's procedure]]) is performed instead.<ref name="RawlinsonAlderson2010-p219"/>
To avoid infection, galactography should not be performed when the nipple discharge contains [[pus]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://radiopaedia.org/articles/breast-ductography-1|title=Breast ductography|publisher=radiopaedia.org|accessdate=4 November 2014}}</ref>
==See also== *[[Galaxy]]
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Breast procedures}} {{Medical imaging}}
[[Category:Projectional radiography]] [[Category:Breast imaging]] [[Category:Cancer screening]]