title: Characterization of breast lesion morphology with delayed 3DSSMT: an adjunct to dynamic breast MRI.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of various morphologic criteria in distinguishing malignant from benign breast lesions using a new sequence (3DSSMT) performed immediately after dynamic breast MRI. 3DSSMT combines a water-selective spectral-spatial excitation and an on-resonance magnetization transfer pulse with three-dimensional spoiled gradient-echo imaging. Morphologic features of 87 pathologically confirmed lesions were analyzed. The presence of either skin thickening, or a combination of a spiculated or microlobulated border, with a rim, ductal, linear, or clumped enhancement pattern was 94% specific and 54% sensitive for malignancy. Conversely, the presence of either a perfectly smooth border, a well-defined margin, non-enhancing internal septations, or a macrolobulated border was 97% specific and 35% sensitive for a benign diagnosis. In conclusion, delayed 3DSSMT discriminates a significant number of benign and malignant breast lesions; it has the potential to improve the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic breast MRI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Lucas MRS/I Center, Stanford University, California 94305-5488, USA.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Daniel
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Herfkens
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Birdwell
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Jeffrey
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Sawyer-Glover
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Glover
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast / Q000473:pathology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity