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Mnemonic

Breast Structure

A memory aid for the internal structure of the breast.

Anatomy Histology Thorax Endocrine and Reproductive Histology
Expansion

Fifteen to twenty lobes, each draining by a lactiferous duct to the nipple

Expansion

  • 15 to 20 lobes, arranged radially around the nipple
  • Each lobe contains lobules, which drain into a lactiferous duct
  • Each duct dilates as a lactiferous sinus beneath the areola, then opens on the nipple
  • Lobes are separated by fibrous septa (Cooper’s ligaments) and fat

The terminal duct lobular unit, the junction between the terminal ductule and its lobule, is the site of origin of most breast pathology, both benign and malignant.

The areola carries Montgomery tubercles, sebaceous glands that lubricate the nipple during lactation. The radial arrangement of the lobes is the reason a duct-related discharge or a periductal abscess tends to point towards a single sector of the breast.