Prospective evaluation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound of breast BI-RADS 3–5 lesions

Abstract

Background: To determine the benefit of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the assessment of breast lesions. Methods: A standardized contrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed in 230 breast lesions classified as BI-RADS category 3 to 5. All lesions were subjected to qualitative and quantitative analysis. MVI (MicroVascular Imaging) technique was used to derive qualitative analysis parameters; blood perfusion of the lesions was assessed (perfusion homogeneity, type of vascularization, enhancement degree). Quantitative analysis was conducted to estimate perfusion changes in the lesions within drawn regions of interest (ROI); parameters TTP (time to peak), PI (peak intensity), WIS (wash in slope), AUC (area under curve) were obtained from time intensity (TI) curves. Acquired data were statistically analyzed to assess the ability of each parameter to differentiate between malignant and benign lesions. The combination of parameters was also evaluated for the possibility of increasing the overall diagnostic accuracy. Biological nature of the lesions was verified by a pathologist. Benign lesions without histopathological verification (BI-RADS 3) were followed up for at least 24 months. Results: Out of 230 lesions, 146 (64%) were benign, 67 (29%) were malignant, 17 (7%) lesions were eliminated. Malignant tumors showed statistically significantly lower TTP parameters (sensitivity 77.6%, specificity 52.7%) and higher WIS values (sensitivity 74.6%, specificity 66.4%) than benign tumors. Enhancement degree also proved to be statistically well discriminating as 55.2% of malignant lesions had a rich vascularity (sensitivity 89.6% and specificity 48.6%). The combination of quantitative analysis parameters (TTP, WIS) with enhancement degree did not result in higher accuracy in distinguishing between malignant and benign breast lesions. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that contrast-enhanced breast ultrasound has the potential to distinguish between malignant and benign lesions. In particular, this method could help to differentiate lesions BI-RADS category 3 and 4 and thus reduce the number of core-cut biopsies performed in benign lesions. Qualitative analysis, despite its subjective element, appeared to be more beneficial. A combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis did not increase the predictive capability of CEUS.

Contrast‐Enhanced Ultrasonography for Differential Diagnosis of Benign and Malignant Thyroid Lesions: Single‐Institutional Prospective Study of Qualitative and Quantitative CEUS Characteristics

“…Depiction of tumor microvascularization by CEUS may be more accurate than changes assessable by Doppler ultrasound. CEUS is increasingly used in nearly all organs [ 12 – 17 ]. The EFSUMB (European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology) guidelines for the use of CEUS on nonliver application published in 2017 consider CEUS as a promising noninvasive method for the differential diagnosis of the benign and malignant thyroid nodules, but further studies are needed to explore reliable diagnostic standards [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Quantification and Classification of Contrast Enhanced Ultrasound Breast Cancer Data: A Preliminary Study

“…As a result, our study lacks a point of comparison. There are similar studies, such as those on region-based quantitative classification analysis; Kapetas et al reported an AUROC of 0.812% in a cohort of 65 patients [ 47 ], Janu et al reported an AUROC of 78% in a cohort of 230 patients [ 48 ], and Park et al reported an AUROC of 0.841 in a cohort of 98 patients [ 49 ].…”

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of breast tumors: an initial experience

“…Our study showed significant difference in TIC parameters between tumor and normal adjacent tissue with CEUS and MRI, especially for the gradient and peak intensity, and are in line with other studies. 2 , 4 …”

“…Quantitative parameters from the examination can be used in the evaluation. 1 , 2 The contrast consists of small gas bobbles circulating in the blood without diffusion into the interstitial space, even in pathological blood vessels of a tumor. The ultrasound waves destroy the bobbles and the gas is eliminated through the lungs.…”