Comparison of ultrasonic diagnosis with pathological examination for benign and malignant breast lesions

Abstract

Objective To analyze the features of breast neoplasms on two- dimensional highfrequency ultrasound, color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), and ultrasonic elastography (UE) and to assess the values of these ultrasonic diagnosis. Methods The data on 113 patients with pathologically confirmed breast tumors were retrospectively analyzed. Features of benign and malignant lesions on two-dimensional ultrasound CDFI and UE were compared. Results There were significant differences between benign and malignant breast regarding appearance of the lesions including shape, edge, capsule,and existence of calcification. Metastasis to axillary lymph nodes was the sign of breast cancers. On CDFI,the detection rate of blood flow in small benign masses was 70.1%, mostly with a grade of 0 - I, while that in breast cancers was 82.6%, with a grade of Ⅱ - Ⅲ. 5-scoring systme was used for evaluation (score 4 or above for malignancy and score 3 or below for benign lesions)and the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of UE was 84.8%, 92.5%, and 89.4%. Conclusions Comprehensive analysis of the features of breast tumors on two-dimensional ultrasound, color Doppler flow imaging , and ultrasonic elastography can markedly increase the diagnostic rate of breast cancer. Key words: Color Doppler; Ultrasonography elastography; Breast neoplasm