Diagnosis

The doctor makes the diagnosis of fat tissue necrosis by palpation of the nodes under the skin. Fatty tissue necrosis is actually harmless and does not require further treatment, but cannot be distinguished from malignant growths by palpation alone. For this reason, the further diagnosis is made by ultrasound examination, although there may often be difficulties in distinguishing it from a carcinoma, especially in the breast.

In order to definitely exclude a possible tumor, the lump must be removed surgically and the tissue must be examined finely (histologically) under the microscope by a pathologist. This might also be of interest to you: Significance of biopsy for breast cancer diagnostics In addition to palpation, which usually reveals the fatty tissue necrosis as a lump, imaging procedures such as ultrasound can also be used. Benign changes or tumors are typically identified by ultrasound, as is fat tissue necrosis.

These include a clear demarcation from the surroundings – the dead or damaged tissue takes up space, but there is no destruction of adjacent cells. Furthermore, the benign changes show a smoothly limited and homogeneous or uniform structure. The transducer also allows the tissue to be compressed (pressed in).

Associated symptoms

Necrosis of the fatty tissue is usually unproblematic and does not cause any discomfort or pain. Necrosis leads to the formation of hard nodes of varying size, depending on how much fatty tissue has been lost. In rare cases, the tissue around the necrosis can become inflamed and cause pain.

Lymph nodes that drain lymph from the affected area (e.g. in the axillary region in the case of necrosis in the breast) can swell and be easily palpable. There may be a bluish discoloration of the areas of skin that lie above the nodes. In some places (especially on the thighs and buttocks), fatty tissue necrosis causes deep and very large dents in the skin, which are perceived by the patient as very annoying and can even lead to reduced self-esteem or inferiority complexes.

In such cases, surgery can provide relief for aesthetic reasons. Fatty tissue necrosis is usually not associated with pain. Occasionally, an inflammatory reaction around the dead area of fat cells causes a sensation of pain. This can then become noticeable especially when touching the skin over the affected cell area.