Post-operative Ayurvedic management of non-healing idiopathic granulomatous mastitis - A case report

Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the breast which may present as painful, unilateral, discrete, breast masses with a tendency to recur. The pathogenesis is still unclear. In Ayurvedic literature, clinical features similar to IGM is seen in Stanavidradhi (breast abscess). We present the case of a 25-year old uniparous woman who had previously undergone excision biopsy for a breast lump and was diagnosed with IGM by histopathology examination. After one month, she developed pain, redness, and swelling at the operated site. She was treated for two months with corticosteroids and antibiotics, but the symptoms did not subside. After Ayurvedic treatment, the condition started to respond in a week and was completely resolved within three months. She was followed-up with medicines for three months and without medicines for another six months during which period, no recurrence was seen. The non-healing nature and high rate of recurrence of IGM necessitates prolonged treatment with steroids and antibiotics that have long-lasting adverse effects. In this context, Ayurveda may be able to offer an effective option with significantly fewer adverse effects, not only in the management of abscess and sinus, but also in prevention of recurrence.