Title: Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasonographic Strain Elastography in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Breast Lesions
Authors: Rahmath Shamla.K.P, Brahmadathan.M.N, Suny Thomas, Paul V Puthussery
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v7i5.138
Abstract
Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women which accounts for 23% of all female cancers. A new, palpable mass is the most common presenting sign or symptom of breast cancer. Biopsy remains the gold standard for definitive diagnosis. Biopsy is an invasive procedure and to reduce the necessity for performing it, ultrasound elastography, a newer noninvasive imaging modality employed in ultrasound imaging to characterize lesions based on their stiffness.
Objectives: Our aim was to find out the diagnostic value of ultrasound strain elastography in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions in comparison with histopathological analysis, which was taken as the gold standard.
Methods: Our study was a diagnostic test evaluation study involving 116 study subjects with palpable breast lumps who underwent ultrasound strain elastography examination in Department of Radiodiagnosis, Government Medical College, Thrissur from January 2016 to June 2017. B mode ultrasound and Strain elastography were performed and the breast lesions were given scores from 1 to 5 according to the Tsukuba elasticity score developed by Itoh and Ueno. Score 1,2&3 were taken as benign and scores 4&5 were taken as malignant. The results were compared with histopathological results. The data was managed in Microsoft Office Excel. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values were obtained.
Results: Ultrasound elastography had a sensitivity of 85.3%, specificity of 87.8%,accuracy of 86.2%, a positive predictive value of 92.7% and a negative predictive value of 76.5 % and were statistically significant (p value <0.001).
Conclusion: Ultrasound strain elastography has a good diagnostic accuracy in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions.
Keywords: breast; breast cancer; strain elastography; ultrasound elastography.
