[Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the blood flow in breast tumors using power Doppler ultrasound].
OBJECTIVE
Our study was performed to obtain additional information regarding the present diagnostic approaches in breast tumor diagnosis by investigating tumor vessels. We present a new method that helps to capture the morphologic features from power Doppler ultrasound images using a computer-aided system facilitating pixel relation analysis techniques in the region of interest (ROI).


METHODS
45 solid breast tumors, including 18 benign and 27 malignant histologically proven cases, were studied using quantitative and qualitative parameters with extracted three-dimensional (3D) diagrams. We focused on pixel counting and on physiologic and pathophysiologic vascular analysis over time. P values less than 0.05 using the Wilcoxon, Mann and Whitney's U-test were deemed statistically significant.


RESULTS
One of the two quantitative values, the color range, showed a statistical significance for distinguishing between benign and malignant lesions by counting more pixels in malignant cases. We detected differences in the blood flow dynamics with a characteristic flow texture in 89 % of benign lesions and periodic oscillations which were identified with a diagnostic accuracy of 78 % in malignant cases.


CONCLUSIONS
The preliminary results show that the proposed method using power Doppler imaging is feasible and can aid in the classification of breast tumors as benign or malignant.
Deyle
S
S
Frauenklinik für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe, Universitätsklinikum der Rheinisch-Westfälischen Technischen Hochschule Aachen. simone.deyle@ksli.ch
Jörn
H
H
Schmid-Schönbein
H
H
Rath
W
W
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001940:Breast / Q000098:blood supply*; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018608:Ultrasonography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*