title: Radiologists' performance for detecting lesions and the interobserver variability of automated whole breast ultrasound.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the detection performance of the automated whole breast ultrasound (AWUS) with that of the hand-held breast ultrasound (HHUS) and to evaluate the interobserver variability in the interpretation of the AWUS.
  
  
  METHODS
  AWUS was performed in 38 breast cancer patients. A total of 66 lesions were included: 38 breast cancers, 12 additional malignancies and 16 benign lesions. Three breast radiologists independently reviewed the AWUS data and analyzed the breast lesions according to the BI-RADS classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The detection rate of malignancies was 98.0% for HHUS and 90.0%, 88.0% and 96.0% for the three readers of the AWUS. The sensitivity and the specificity were 98.0% and 62.5% in HHUS, 90.0% and 87.5% for reader 1, 88.0% and 81.3% for reader 2, and 96.0% and 93.8% for reader 3, in AWUS. There was no significant difference in the radiologists' detection performance, sensitivity and specificity (p > 0.05) between the two modalities. The interobserver agreement was fair to good for the ultrasonographic features, categorization, size, and the location of breast masses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AWUS is thought to be useful for detecting breast lesions. In comparison with HHUS, AWUS shows no significant difference in the detection rate, sensitivity and the specificity, with high degrees of interobserver agreement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul 137-701, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Hun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Bong Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Byung Gil
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jae Jung
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Ji Hye
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Byung Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Byung Joo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Choe
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Hyunbin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D015588:Observer Variation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Breast; Observer variation; Ultrasonography