Can contrast-enhanced sonography distinguish benign from malignant breast masses?

• Published in: Journal of clinical ultrasound Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 177 - 181
• Main Authors: Sorelli, P. G., Cosgrove, D. O., Svensson, W. E., Zaman, N., Satchithananda, K., Barrett, N. K., Lim, A. K. P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2010
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; breast lesions; Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Contrast Media; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Humans; Image Enhancement - methods; Microbubbles; Middle Aged; Phospholipids; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sulfur Hexafluoride; Ultrasonography, Mammary - methods; ultrasound; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0091-2751; 1097-0096; 1097-0096
• DOI: 10.1002/jcu.20671

Background We investigated whether microvascular enhancement on contrast‐enhanced sonographic (CEUS) imaging can aid in distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions and correlated these findings with histopathological findings. Method Fifteen patients with a palpable breast mass were recruited. Following informed consent, 4.8 mL of the microbubble contrast agent SonoVue was injected intravenously. Digital video clips of lesion enhancement were obtained and reviewed by a consultant radiologist who scored each lesion on the following characteristics: homogeneous versus heterogeneous enhancement, the presence or absence of focal defects, well‐ versus ill‐defined margins and vascular morphology score (VMS). Result Histologically there were 7 malignant and 8 benign lesions. The calculated sensitivity for CEUS in the diagnosis of malignancy was 100%, with a 37.5% specificity. There was no statistically significant difference in overall mean VMS between the malignant and benign lesions. Conclusion The results of our study have not shown any additional benefit in the use of CEUS over conventional triple assessment. The positive trend seen in the higher mean VMS for the malignant tumors needs further investigation with a larger cohort of patients. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound, 2010