Breast masses: color Doppler, power Doppler, and spectral analysis findings.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the diagnostic efficacy of power Doppler sonography (PDS) with spectral analysis for breast diseases, we retrospectively compared PDS and color Doppler sonography (CDS) in patients with breast lesions.


METHODS
One hundred thirty-eight women with palpable breast lesions were examined with PDS (65 women) and/or CDS (73 women). We calculated peak velocity, end-diastolic velocity, pulsatility index (PI), and resistance index (RI).


RESULTS
On a 4-point subjective visual vascularity scale, PDS demonstrated higher vascularity than did CDS. Although smaller and more subtle vessels could be detected only with PDS, the PI and RI differed significantly between malignant and benign lesions when either PDS or CDS was used. However, logistic regression analysis showed that high PI and RI were associated with malignancy only when CDS was used. When PDS was used, PI was significantly higher in invasive ductal carcinomas with fibrous stroma and ill-defined margins (associated with a poor prognosis) than in invasive ductal carcinomas without fibrous stroma or with well-defined margins.


CONCLUSIONS
Doppler spectral analysis of malignant breast lesions using PDS may contribute to the determination of prognosis.
Hayashi
N
N
Department of Radiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Miyamoto
Y
Y
Nakata
N
N
Irie
T
T
Ikegami
M
M
Asao
K
K
Tada
S
S
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*