Intramammary Findings on CT of the Chest – a Review of Normal Anatomy and Possible Findings

Computed tomography (CT) is a frequently performed examination in women of all ages. In all thoracic CT examinations of the chest at least parts of the breasts are included. Therefore incidental breast pathology may be observed. It has been suggested that one out of 250 women undergoing chest CT will show a malignant incidental breast lesion. Given the high number of performed chest CT examinations, this contributes to a significant number of malignancies. In this review, after a brief discussion of the value of computed tomography in breast imaging, normal and pathologic findings are discussed to create awareness of this potential “black box” on chest CT.