title: Mammography with synchrotron radiation: first clinical experience with phase-detection technique.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To prospectively evaluate the diagnostic contribution of mammography with synchrotron radiation in patients with questionable or suspicious breast abnormalities identified at combined digital mammography (DM) and ultrasonography (US).
  
  
  METHODS
  The ethics committee approved this prospective study, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients. Mammography with synchrotron radiation was performed with a phase-detection technique at a synchrotron radiation laboratory. Forty-nine women who met at least one of the inclusion criteria (palpable mass, focal asymmetry, architectural distortion, or equivocal or suspicious mass at DM; none clarified at US) were enrolled. Forty-seven women (mean age, 57.8 years ± 8.8 [standard deviation]; age range, 43-78 years) completed the study protocol, which involved biopsy or follow-up for 1 year as the reference standard. Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) scores of 1-3 were considered to indicate a negative result, while scores 4-5 were considered to indicate a positive result. The visibility of breast abnormalities and the glandular parenchymal structure at DM and at mammography with synchrotron radiation was compared by using the Wilcoxon signed rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 29 of the 31 patients with a final diagnosis of benign entity, mammography with synchrotron radiation yielded BI-RADS scores of 1-3. In 13 of the remaining 16 patients with a final diagnosis of malignancy, mammography with synchrotron radiation yielded BI-RADS scores of 4-5. Therefore, a sensitivity of 81% (13 of 16 patients) and a specificity of 94% (29 of 31 patients) were achieved with use of the described BI-RADS dichotomization system.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These study results suggest that mammography with synchrotron radiation can be used to clarify cases of questionable or suspicious breast abnormalities identified at DM.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  http://radiology.rsna.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1148/radiol.11100745/-/DC1.
authors: Department of Physics, University of Trieste, Via A. Valerio 2, 34127 Trieste, Italy. castelli@ts.infn.it
authors: Edoardo
authors: E
authors: Castelli
authors: Maura
authors: M
authors: Tonutti
authors: Fulvia
authors: F
authors: Arfelli
authors: Renata
authors: R
authors: Longo
authors: Emilio
authors: E
authors: Quaia
authors: Luigi
authors: L
authors: Rigon
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Sanabor
authors: Fabrizio
authors: F
authors: Zanconati
authors: Diego
authors: D
authors: Dreossi
authors: Alessando
authors: A
authors: Abrami
authors: Elisa
authors: E
authors: Quai
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Bregant
authors: Katia
authors: K
authors: Casarin
authors: Valentina
authors: V
authors: Chenda
authors: Ralf Hendrik
authors: RH
authors: Menk
authors: Tatjana
authors: T
authors: Rokvic
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Vascotto
authors: Giuliana
authors: G
authors: Tromba
authors: Maria Assunta
authors: MA
authors: Cova
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D017356:Synchrotrons