title: Superb microvascular imaging in diagnosis of breast lesions: a comparative study with contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic microvascular imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the diagnostic performance of superb microvascular imaging (SMI) in breast lesions, comparing with contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic microvascular imaging (MVI).
  
  
  METHODS
  From April to November 2015, 132 patients (with 132 breast lesions) were enrolled in the retrospective study. All lesions were evaluated with colour Doppler flow imaging (CDFI), colour SMI (cSMI), monochrome SMI (mSMI) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic MVI. Receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to compare the diagnostic performance of SMI and MVI for discrimination between benign and malignant breast lesions.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Histological analysis showed 58 malignant and 74 benign lesions. mSMI was more sensitive in detecting blood flow signals in breast lesions than CDFI (p < 0.001) and cSMI (p < 0.001). Differences of vessels inside breast lesions and morphologic features of vessels between benign and malignant lesions were statistically significant on mSMI (p < 0.001). Using root hair-like and crab claw-like patterns as the criteria for malignant lesions, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for differentiation based on the microvascular architecture patterns were 77.6, 90.5 and 84.8% for mSMI and 89.6, 87.8 and 88.6% for MVI. Areas under curve of mSMI and MVI were not significantly different (p = 0.129).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  mSMI can increase blood flow detection and depict the microvascular architecture of breast lesions. The diagnostic performance of mSMI was not significantly different from MVI. SMI has potential in the differential diagnosis of breast lesions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  mSMI is a non-invasive technique for vascularity evaluation of breast tumours and it is beneficial for breast tumour differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yun
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Feng
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Huan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ultrasound, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Bao-Ming
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D055806:Microvessels / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color / Q000379:methods; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media