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Diagnosis of sub-centimetre breast lesions: combining BI-RADS-US with strain elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound—a preliminary study in China

  • Ultrasound
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Abstract

Objectives

To compare the diagnostic efficacies of B-mode ultrasound (US), strain elastography (SE), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and the combination of these modalities for breast lesions <1 cm in size.

Methods

Between January 2013 and October 2015, 203 inpatients with 209 sub-centimetre breast lesions categorised as BI-RADS-US (Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System for Ultrasound) 3-5 were included. US, SE and CEUS were performed to evaluate each lesion. The diagnostic performances of different ultrasonic modalities were compared. The diagnostic efficacies of BI-RADS-US and our re-rating systems were also compared. The pathology findings were used as the reference standard.

Results

The specificities of US, SE and CEUS for tumour differentiation were 17.4 %, 56.2 % and 86.0 %, respectively (P < 0.05); and the sensitivities were 100 %, 93.2 % and 93.2 % for US, SE and CEUS, respectively (P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.867 for original BI-RADS-US, 0.882 for BI-RADS-US combined with only SE, 0.953 for BI-RADS-US combined with only CEUS and 0.924 for BI-RADS-US combined with both SE and CEUS. The best combination was BI-RADS-US combined with only CEUS.

Conclusions

Evaluating sub-centimetre breast lesions with SE and CEUS could increase the diagnostic specificity while retaining high sensitivity compared with B-mode ultrasound.

Key Points

• Evaluating breast lesions with SE and CEUS could increase the diagnostic specificity

• SE and CEUS offer alternatives to biopsy and possibly allow shorter-interval follow-ups

• BI-RADS-US combined with CEUS exhibited the best diagnostic performance

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Abbreviations

US:

B-mode ultrasound

SE:

Strain elastography

CEUS:

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound

BI-RADS-US:

Breast Imaging Reporting and Data system for Ultrasound

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Baoming Luo. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

The authors state that this work has not received any funding. No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board. No study subjects or cohorts have been previously reported. Methodology: retrospective, diagnostic or prognostic study, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 107 Yanjiangxi Rd, 510120, Guangzhou, China

    Xiaoyun Xiao, Qiongchao Jiang, Huan Wu, Xiaofeng Guan, Wei Qin & Baoming Luo

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  1. Xiaoyun Xiao
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  2. Qiongchao Jiang
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  3. Huan Wu
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  4. Xiaofeng Guan
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  5. Wei Qin
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  6. Baoming Luo
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Correspondence to Baoming Luo.

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Cite this article

Xiao, X., Jiang, Q., Wu, H. et al. Diagnosis of sub-centimetre breast lesions: combining BI-RADS-US with strain elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasound—a preliminary study in China. Eur Radiol 27, 2443–2450 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4628-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4628-4

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