The diagnosis of mastitis is usually made on the basis of history and physical examination.
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, laboratory diagnostics, and obligatory medical device diagnostics – for differential diagnostic clarification.
- Mammary ultrasonography (ultrasound examination of the breast; breast ultrasound) – for suspected mastitis puerperalis (inflammation of the mammary glands in the puerperal period), inflammatory breast carcinoma (breast cancer with redness of the breast skin and swelling of the breast due to infiltration of the lymphatics)[Mastitis puerperalis: Inflammatory (“inflammation-related”) loosening of the affected breast tissue area; mammary abscess (pus cavity in the breast): smoothly circumscribed space-occupying lesion with a rim rich in echoes (abscess capsule) – the abscess cavity shows a homogeneous echo-poor internal echo]
- Mammography (X-ray examination of the breast after completion of antiphlogistic therapy/inflammatory therapy) – if inflammatory breast carcinoma is suspected.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast (breast MRI) – in cases of bacterial mastitis, inflammatory breast carcinoma and Paget’s disease.
