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Combined Use of Ultrasound Elastography and B‐Mode Sonography for Differentiation of Benign and Malignant Circumscribed Breast Masses
Author(s) -
Kim Soo-Yeon,
Park Jeong Seon,
Koo Hye Ryoung
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of ultrasound in medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1550-9613
pISSN - 0278-4297
DOI - 10.7863/ultra.14.11027
Subject(s) - medicine , elastography , radiology , breast imaging , receiver operating characteristic , ultrasound , bi rads , cutoff , ultrasonography , mammography , breast cancer , cancer , physics , quantum mechanics
Objectives To evaluate the diagnostic performance of combined B‐mode sonography and ultrasound elastography for differentiation between benign and malignant breast masses with circumscribed margins. Methods We analyzed 109 pathologically proven circumscribed breast masses. Two radiologists retrospectively reviewed B‐mode sonograms and elastograms in consensus. Based on the American College of Radiology Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System, we determined categories of the masses on B‐mode sonography. Elastographic scores were assessed by a 3‐point scale (negative, 0; equivocal, 1; and positive, 2). When the elastographic score for a lesion was 0 or 2, we downgraded or upgraded the B‐mode category, respectively; thus, the reclassified Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category was defined as the “reclassification category.” Mean category values for benign and malignant lesions were compared by a Student t test. The diagnostic performance of B‐mode, elastographic, and reclassification assessments was compared by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Results The mean B‐mode category (2.5 versus 1.7), elastographic score (1.7 versus 0.8), and reclassification category (3.2 versus 1.6) were significantly higher in malignant than benign lesions ( P < .001). The area under the curve for reclassification assessment was significantly higher than that for B‐mode sonography (0.916 versus 0.795; P < .05). With a cutoff value between 1 and 2, the specificity was increased from 26.5% to 42.9% after reclassification. Conclusions For differentiation between benign and malignant circumscribed breast masses, combined use of B‐mode sonography and elastography could provide a better diagnostic performance than B‐mode sonography alone.