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Benign Breast Disease in Elderly Women and Men

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Principles and Practice of Geriatric Surgery

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Abstract

Familiarity with breast microanatomy and physiology aids in understanding benign breast physiology. The female breast is composed of ductal and lobular units. The main breast ducts arise from lactiferous sinuses in the nipple and divide several times to form small ducts and then the smallest ductal elements, or “ductules,” which in fact form the lobular unit of the breast. The ductules also divide and terminate blindly with club-shaped endings. The ductules are sensitive to hormone stimulation; during pregnancy, they proliferate and form the alveolar components of the breast [1].

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Greenwich Hospital, Greenwich, CT, USA

    Kay O. Lovig

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  1. Kay O. Lovig
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  2. Barbara A. Ward
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Correspondence to Kay O. Lovig .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Yale University, New Haven, 06520, Connecticut, USA

    Ronnie Ann Rosenthal

  2. Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York, Clarkson Ave. 450, Brooklyn, 11203, New York, USA

    Michael E. Zenilman

  3. , Chairman, Department of Surgery, Sinai Hospital, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, 21215, Maryland, USA

    Mark R. Katlic

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Lovig, K.O., Ward, B.A. (2011). Benign Breast Disease in Elderly Women and Men. In: Rosenthal, R., Zenilman, M., Katlic, M. (eds) Principles and Practice of Geriatric Surgery. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6999-6_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6999-6_37

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