[Benign breast diseases: the surgeon's role in its treatment].

INTRODUCTION: Surgery plays a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of breast diseases. Diagnostic answers and therapeutic solutions are offered thanks to surgery for both benign and malignant situations. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From January 1975 to August 1995 in our centre 1933 breast biopsy for benign breast diseases have been performed. In 98% of all cases the intervention has been performed under local anesthesia throughout the infiltration of 5 to 40 cc of Lidocaine or Mepivacaine. RESULTS: Mortality in our series was 0. Morbidity affected the 0.75% of all operated cases with hematomas or wound infections. DISCUSSION: Surgery becomes the solution in the diagnosis of breast diseases whenever previous diagnostic steps (Clinical examination+mammography+FNAB) or (Clinical examination+Ultrasonography+FNAB) or (Clinical examination+FNAB) fail to reveal a preoperative diagnosis. Of course surgery represents also the logical treatment of previously diagnosed lesions. The surgical excision of benign lesions must be meticulous due to the high recurrency rate that some of these lesions have (some histotype of fibrocystic disease or phyllodes tumors). Moreover surgery due to the benign nature of the lesions and to the fact that most part of the patients is represented by young women should always be as conservative and aesthetic as possible, by following anatomic lines and calibre sutures.