Diagnostic Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Parametric Imaging in Breast Tumors

Abstract

PurposeThis study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of SonoLiver software for parametric imaging in breast tumors.MethodsContrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was performed in 216 breast lesions (113 malignant, 103 benign). The CEUS parameters were compared between benign and malignant lesions. The rise time, the time to peak, the mean transit time and dynamic vessel pattern (DVP) were analyzed using SonoLiver software.ResultsQuantitative analysis showed that the rise time was 16.52±4.15 seconds in the benign group vs. 13.86±3.36 seconds in the malignant group (p=0.007), and the time to peak was 19.86±4.87 seconds in the benign group vs. 16.52±4.85 seconds in the malignant group (p=0.009). The mean transit time was 80.55±18.65 seconds in the benign group vs. 65.16±20.28 seconds in the malignant group (p=0.006). The difference between the distribution of DVP in benign and malignant tumors was statistically significant. One hundred one malignant tumors (89.4%) performed an irregular red/yellow fill in the region of interest (ROI) and 85 benign tumors (82.5%) performed a single blue/green fill in the ROI. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of parametric imaging in breast tumors were 84.1%, 85.4%, 84.7%, respectively.ConclusionThe CEUS parametric imaging can distinguish differences between malignant and benign breast tumors as well as provide diagnostic information on breast lesions.

Contrast-Enhanced Color Doppler Ultrasonography for Preoperative Evaluation of Sentinel Lymph Node in Breast Cancer Patients

“…In addition, there is a higher peripheral vessel distribution in malignant nodes, which is emphasized after contrast material administration, and the enhancement lasts for longer periods compared to benign nodes [19,20]. The diagnostic confidence in SLN characterization is improved using the CEUS [10]. …”

“…Multiple parameters are used in CEUS and are mostly related to time that the contrast media interferes with the examined node. The rise time, the time to peak, the mean transit time and dynamic vessel pattern are the major useful values [10]. More and smaller vessels are identifiable in LNs after contrast media application and more accurate delineation of vascular architecture becomes possible [11].…”

Impact of parametric imaging on contrast-enhanced ultrasound of breast cancer

“…Yuan et al [13] reported that parametric images enable the objective distinction of malignant and benign breast tumors, clarifying the degree of homogeneity or heterogeneity within the tumor. Although the assessment of CEUS images tends to be subjective, owing to improvements in the visibility with parametric imaging, the images may be more objective not only in the differentiation between benign and malignant but also in the assessment of the tumor extent and the tumor response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy.…”

“…There are many reports that have utilized a color map gradation [10,12,13]. In a similar manner, we colored the map from red to purple per second.…”

“…In hepatic lesions, it has been reported that parametric images may be used to obtain detailed hemodynamic information of the hepatic parenchyma and make a diagnosis of hepatic disease [8][9][10][11]. In breast lesions, previous studies suggest that parametric imaging is useful for differentiating between malignant and benign breast tumors [12,13]. Although it has been incorporated into ultrasound systems as a standard analysis software program, parametric imaging remains underutilized.…”