Open AccessRadial Scars of the Breast: Contrast‐enhanced Magnetic Resonance Mammography Appearance
Author(s) -
Pediconi Federica,
Occhiato Rossella,
Venditti Fiammetta,
Fraioli Francesco,
Napoli Alessandro,
Votta Vito,
Laghi Andrea,
Catalano Carlo,
Passariello R.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
the breast journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1524-4741
pISSN - 1075-122X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1075-122x.2005.21530.x
Subject(s) - medicine , mammography , scars , malignancy , magnetic resonance imaging , radiology , breast cancer , ductal carcinoma , lesion , cancer , pathology
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the appearance of contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance mammography (CE‐MRM) in patients with suspected radial scar on mammography. Thirty women with radial opacities or black star findings at mammography, preoperatively underwent CE‐MRM. Examinations were performed with a 1.5 T magnet with a bilateral surface coil using a FS T 2 ‐weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) and three‐dimensional (3D) dynamic T 1 ‐weighted fast low‐angle shot (FLASH) sequences. Criteria for lesion evaluation included morphologic patterns and signal intensity curves. Mammography and CE‐MRM findings were compared with pathologic findings. CE‐MRM suggested the presence of radial scar in 18 of 30 cases and the presence of malignancy in 11 of 30 cases; 1 lesion was classified as borderline. At surgery 22 radial scars (including 4 with associated ductal carcinoma in situ) and 8 carcinomas were detected. CE‐MRM provided a specificity of 89%, sensitivity of 83%, and accuracy of 87%. Differently from breast cancer, radial scars are nonenhancing at CE‐MRM. Nevertheless, the possibility of nonenhancing carcinomatous foci existing within radial scars implies that surgical excision should be performed in all cases.