title: Can Doppler or contrast-enhanced ultrasound analysis add diagnostically important information about the nature of breast lesions?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Despite evidence suggesting that Doppler ultrasonography can help to differentiate between benign and malignant breast lesions, it is rarely applied in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine whether certain vascular features of breast masses observed by duplex Doppler and color Doppler ultrasonography (before and/or after microbubble contrast injection) add information to the gray-scale analysis and support the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) classification.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy solid lesions were prospectively evaluated with gray-scale ultrasonography, color Doppler ultrasonography, and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography. The morphological analysis and lesion vascularity were correlated with the histological results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Percutaneous core biopsies revealed that 25/70 (17.5%) lesions were malignant, while 45 were benign. Hypervascular lesions with tortuous and central vessels, a resistive index (RI)≥ 0.73 before contrast injection, and an RI≥ 0.75 after contrast injection were significantly predictive of malignancy (p<0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of gray-scale ultrasonography data with unenhanced or enhanced duplex Doppler and color Doppler US data can provide diagnostically useful information. These techniques can be easily implemented because Doppler devices are already present in most health centers.
authors: Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da, Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil, Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Stanzani
authors: Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da, Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil, Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors: Luciano F
authors: LF
authors: Chala
authors: Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da, Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil, Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors: Nestor de
authors: Nd
authors: Barros
authors: Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da, Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil, Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors: Giovanni G
authors: GG
authors: Cerri
authors: Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da, Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de São Paulo, São PauloSP, Brazil, Instituto de Radiologia do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors: Maria Cristina
authors: MC
authors: Chammas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors; D018616:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex / Q000379:methods*; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media