Magnetic resonance imaging of the breasts: Clinical practice and further development

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breasts was introduced in clinical practice over 10 years ago. The method is based on visualization of morphology of the lesion and pathophysiology of their vascularization. It is useful complementary method to mammography and breasts ultrasound, with potential to detect clinically or mammography occult lesions. Compared to the conventional visualization methods, MRI of the breasts is more sensitive, although specificity of the method is lower than sensitivity. The indications for MRI of the breasts are: differentiation between recurrent malignant disease and postoperative or post irradiation changes, local cancer staging in preoperative planning, breasts implants, axillary metastases with occult primary tumor and cases with inconclusive conventional imaging. The limitations of MRI of the breasts are: low sensitivity for in situ carcinomas, false negative results for 10% carcinomas and hormone-induced false positive results. The further development of the method includes: breasts cancer screening in the patients with high risk, monitoring of the effects of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy, MR-guided biopsy and new contrast agents.