Clinical implications of breast ultrasound elastography

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Polish women and the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Screening mammography is the only recognized method for early detection of malignant neoplasm and provides to reduction in cancer related deaths so far. The sensitivity of this examination is strongly influenced by the structure of the breast and is definitely lower for breasts of type 2 and 3 in accordance to American College of Radiology. That is why it is suggested that women younger than 35 years should be examined with ultrasound if necessary, and for women 35 years and older it is recommended to perform mammography, as the primary breast study. Ultrasound elastography is noninvasive imaging technique which can contribute to increase the sensitivity and specificity of recognition breast lesions. There are two main types of elastography: static and shear wave one. According to tissue stiffness, static elastography encodes lesions using a 5-point color scale – the Tsukuba University Score. Improvements in the interpretation of non-invasive examinations with using ultrasound elastography were discussed. It is considered that addition ultrasound elastography to ultrasound B-mode can play an important role in verification focal lesions in the breast.