title: Discrimination of sonographically detected breast masses using frequency shift color Doppler imaging in combination with age and gray scale criteria.
abstract: Frequency shift color Doppler imaging was assessed in conjunction with patient age and gray scale (GS) features for discriminating benign from malignant breast masses. Thirty-eight women with sonographically detected masses scheduled for biopsy were evaluated using a 6- to 13-MHz scan head, and the masses were delineated in ultrasonographic image volumes. Vascularity in and around each mass was quantified using speed-weighted pixel density (SWD). Gray scale features were ranked visually on a linear scale. Combinations of indices were compared with histologic findings (18 benign and 20 malignant). Receiver operating characteristic analysis ranked performance in decreasing order from the SWD-Age-GS index, to SWD-GS, SWD-Age, Age-GS, GS criteria, SWD, and Age. At 100% sensitivity, SWD-Age-GS, SWD-GS, and SWD-Age discriminated benign from malignant masses with specificities of 94%, 89%, and 72%, respectively. These results indicate significant improvement in ultrasonographic discrimination of sonographically detected breast masses by combining the vascularity measure SWD with age and GS criteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0553, USA.
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Bhatti
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: LeCarpentier
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Roubidoux
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fowlkes
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Helvie
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Carson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods