Diagnostic value of sonographic changes of adipose tissue in benign and malignant breast lesions

Abstract

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of sonographic changes of adipose tissue in benign and malignant breast lesions.Methods The sonographic characteristics of subcutaneous adipose tissue were retrospectively analyzed in 92 patients with 114 breast lesions,all lesions were confirmed by postoperative pathology.Receive operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drew with the pathological results as standard,the diagnostic value of subcutaneous adipose tissue changes in benign and malignant breast lesions was evaluated.Results The area under the ROC curve that derived from all of the lesions (61 benign and 53 malignant) was 0.862 (P =0.000).The ultrasonographic findings which showed subcutaneous adipose tissue changes at grade Ⅲ or higher suggested that the tumors were more likely malignant lesions.When adipose tissue changes at grade Ⅲ was taken as the diagnostic indicator for the presence of malignant breast lesions,the diagnostic sensitivity reached 73.6％ while specificity reached 93.4％.At ultrasound imaging scan,the adipose tissue in malignant lesions had the following manifestations:increased fibrosis,increased echogenicity,the sonographic images were turbidity or blurred,presence of ground-glass-like opacity.There were significant differences (P =0.000) between the benign and the malignant lesions in the range of adipose tissue changes.Conclusions The ultrasonographic changes were helpful to the differential diagnosis between the benign and the malignant breast lesions. Key words: Ultrasonography; Breast neoplasms; Diagnosis,differential