The many faces of fat necrosis in the breast.

OBJECTIVE: This article describes the manifestations of fat necrosis on mammography, sonography, and MRI and correlates the imaging findings with the pathologic findings.

CONCLUSION: On imaging studies, the appearance of fat necrosis ranges from typically benign to worrisome for malignancy. Mammography is more specific than sonography, and emphasis should be placed on mammography in making the diagnosis of fat necrosis. In selected cases, MRI may be helpful in showing findings consistent with fat necrosis.