Ultrasonography in Solid benign lesions of breast: An Institutional experience

Abstract

Introduction: Benign breast lesions create a heterogeneous group of pathologies arising from the mammary epithelium or other mammary tissues. Most lesions diagnosed in symptomatic women are benign. Although, the most reliable method for diagnosis of a breast lesion is histological evaluation, the initial investigation method recommended in young females is Sono-mammogram due to its precision in diagnosis in dense fibro-glandular tissue. However, with better imaging proficiency there is also considerable risk of detecting false positive benign lesions. In present study we have assessed the prevalence of various solid benign lesions on high resolution ultrasound along with their utrasonographic features. Materials & Methods- This retrospective descriptive cross sectional study was conducted on 478 women (age range 22-81 years) with breast lumps. The ultrasound examination was performed with AI Xplorer Supersonic Ultrasound machine, using a range of 2-18 MHz linear array transducers. The lesions were classified using American College of Radiology- Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (ACR-BI-RADS). BIRADS 2, 3 and biopsy confirmed 4 lesions were included and their imaging features were studied. Results- A total of 478 women with 790 breasts were analysed. Among these, 112 lesions were diagnosed and confirmed as benign. Fibroadenoma was the most common benign lesion followed by Intramammary lymph node. Other entities included Phyllodes, lipoma, intracystic or intraductal papilloma, Lipnecrosis, Fibroadenosis, PASH, Hamartoma, Neurofibroma and Granulomatous. Conclusion- The benign breast lesions form an extremely heterogeneous group of breast diseases. Some lesions are easily diagnosed due to their characteristic appearance; other lesions present with varying and overlapping imaging features during different stages of their evolution. However, USG is very helpful in lesion characterization & thus guiding further management.