Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature
Abstract Background Painless bloody nipple discharge is often classified as pathological due to its association with malignant lesions. However, it can also be a completely harmless condition. Rusty pipe syndrome is a rare cause of benign, self-limiting bloody nipple discharge during late pregnancy...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-10-01
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| Series: | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05048-5 |
| _version_ | 1817983923727106048 |
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| author | Huanna Tang Wenting Zhu Jianpeng Chen Dan Zhang |
| author_facet | Huanna Tang Wenting Zhu Jianpeng Chen Dan Zhang |
| author_sort | Huanna Tang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Painless bloody nipple discharge is often classified as pathological due to its association with malignant lesions. However, it can also be a completely harmless condition. Rusty pipe syndrome is a rare cause of benign, self-limiting bloody nipple discharge during late pregnancy and early lactation. Given that rusty pipe syndrome is not described in conventional textbooks, we thought it would be appropriate to bring this benign disease to the notice of readers. Case presentation A 31-year-old G1P1 female delivered an infant with a birth weight of 3000 g via cesarean section at 39 weeks of gestation. The baby was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for a suspected oblique inguinal hernia. The mother had bilateral painless bloody nipple discharge when she started to express milk. A physical examination uncovered no signs of inflammation, engorgement, palpable mass, tenderness, cracks or ulcers. A breast ultrasound and cytological analysis revealed no signs of a neoplasm. Without any medical intervention, the color of the rusty milk changed from dark brown to light brown during hospitalization and finally resolved six days postpartum. Conclusion Rusty pipe syndrome is a self-limiting benign condition that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bloody nipple discharge. Awareness of this rare disease by medical professionals would be extremely beneficial for avoiding unneeded examinations and discontinuity of exclusive breastfeeding. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T23:39:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a9d5ca21aa60491a8dc8781a4877c248 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2393 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T23:39:12Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth |
| spelling | doaj.art-a9d5ca21aa60491a8dc8781a4877c2482022-12-22T02:24:36ZengBMCBMC Pregnancy and Childbirth1471-23932022-10-012211610.1186/s12884-022-05048-5Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literatureHuanna Tang0Wenting Zhu1Jianpeng Chen2Dan Zhang3Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineKey Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineKey Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineKey Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of MedicineAbstract Background Painless bloody nipple discharge is often classified as pathological due to its association with malignant lesions. However, it can also be a completely harmless condition. Rusty pipe syndrome is a rare cause of benign, self-limiting bloody nipple discharge during late pregnancy and early lactation. Given that rusty pipe syndrome is not described in conventional textbooks, we thought it would be appropriate to bring this benign disease to the notice of readers. Case presentation A 31-year-old G1P1 female delivered an infant with a birth weight of 3000 g via cesarean section at 39 weeks of gestation. The baby was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit for a suspected oblique inguinal hernia. The mother had bilateral painless bloody nipple discharge when she started to express milk. A physical examination uncovered no signs of inflammation, engorgement, palpable mass, tenderness, cracks or ulcers. A breast ultrasound and cytological analysis revealed no signs of a neoplasm. Without any medical intervention, the color of the rusty milk changed from dark brown to light brown during hospitalization and finally resolved six days postpartum. Conclusion Rusty pipe syndrome is a self-limiting benign condition that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of bloody nipple discharge. Awareness of this rare disease by medical professionals would be extremely beneficial for avoiding unneeded examinations and discontinuity of exclusive breastfeeding.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05048-5Bloody dischargeRusty pipe syndromeBreastfeedingCase report |
| spellingShingle | Huanna Tang Wenting Zhu Jianpeng Chen Dan Zhang Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Bloody discharge Rusty pipe syndrome Breastfeeding Case report |
| title | Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature |
| title_full | Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature |
| title_fullStr | Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature |
| title_short | Rusty pipe syndrome: a case report and review of the literature |
| title_sort | rusty pipe syndrome a case report and review of the literature |
| topic | Bloody discharge Rusty pipe syndrome Breastfeeding Case report |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-022-05048-5 |
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