Unilateral Chronic Organizing Hematoma after Breast Explantation Mimicking Chest Wall Tumor: a Case Report with Imaging Features

The number of women undergoing breast augmentation surgery with a prosthesis for cosmetic purposes or reconstruction after a mastectomy is steadily increasing. Hematoma is one of complications associated with breast augmentation surgery. It usually occurs early in the postoperative period. It rarely occurs late (after six months). However, chronic hematomas after prosthesis removal have not yet been reported in the radiological literature. We present a case of unilateral chronic organizing hematoma that developed late and grew persistently over long period after breast explantation, mimicking a soft tissue tumor of the chest wall clinically. Meanwhile, characteristic magnetic resonance imaging features of heterogeneous signal intensities on T1-weighted and T2-weighted images and dark signal intensity with a persistent enhancement of the peripheral wall of the lesion were found. These can be used for a differential diagnosis.