title: Incidentally detected enhancing breast lesions on chest computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the nature and imaging appearance of incidental enhancing breast lesions detected on a routine contrast-enhanced chest CT.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-three patients with incidental enhancing breast lesions on contrast-enhanced chest CT were retrospectively reviewed. The breast lesions were reviewed by unenhanced and enhanced CT, and evaluated by observing the shapes, margins, enhancement patterns and backgrounds of breast lesions. A histopathologic diagnosis or long-term follow-up served as reference standard.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixteen (70%) patients had malignant breast lesions and seven (30%) had benign lesions. In 10 patients, the breast lesions were exclusively detected on contrast-enhanced CT. Using unenhanced CT, breast lesions with fibroglandular backgrounds were prone to be obscured (p < 0.001). Incidental primary breast cancer showed an non-significant trend of a higher percentage irregular margin (p = 0.056). All of the four incidental breast lesions with non-mass-like enhancement were proven to be malignant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Routine contrast-enhanced chest CT can reveal sufficient details to allow for the detection of unsuspected breast lesions, in which some cases may be proven as malignant. An irregular margin of incidental enhancing breast lesion can be considered a suggestive sign of malignancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Tri-Service General Hospital and National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Wen-Chiung
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsian-He
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chao-Shiang
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jyh-Cherng
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Giu-Cheng
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Cheng-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Tsun-Hou
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Guo-Shu
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033162:Incidental Findings; D007472:Iohexol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D008875:Middle Aged; D013902:Radiography, Thoracic; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D007472:Iohexol; C038192:iopromide