In a retrospective study of 400 dynamic MR examinations of the breast the signal/time ratio of 62 histopathologically correlated lesions (19 benign, 42 malignant) was evaluated. Points of evaluation were initial signal enhancement (1st and 2nd minute), post-initial signal appearance (2nd to 5th minute) and signal distribution (homogeneous, marginal). Based on these criteria, a point system was defined to help in the assessment of lesions in dynamic breast-MR imaging. The overall sensitivity of this method was 95.3%, the specificity to 89.5% and the accuracy to 93.5%. Pitfalls resulted in two cases of non-invasive carcinoma and in two patients with fibroadenoma.

Broadband ultrasound attenuation can be used to help differentiate between patients with osteoporosis and healthy patients and seems to be useful in the prediction of fracture risk.

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Both systems are suitable for fine-needle biopsy and preoperative localization of lesions seen exclusively on MR images.

A guiding attachment is described that transforms a conventional magnetic resonance (MR) imaging surface coil into a stereotaxic biopsy unit. Eight patients, aged 38-66 years (mean, 54 years), with suspect breast lesions detected exclusively at contrast material-enhanced MR imaging underwent MR-guided needle biopsy with this unit. Diagnostic material was successfully aspirated in all patients (four carcinomas, three fibroadenomas, and one intraductal hyperplasia), and the diagnosis was subsequently confirmed at surgical biopsy. This technique promises to increase the diagnostic specificity for lesions seen solely at MR imaging.