Feasibility and potential limitations of abbreviated breast MRI: an observer study using an enriched cohort

Abstract

The diagnostic accuracy of the abbreviated breast MRI was not inferior to that of the conventional full diagnostic interpretation, although a slight decline in interobserver agreement was observed.

Abbreviated MRI of the Breast: Does It Provide Value?

“…A shared finding in almost all abbreviated MRI studies is that the cancers detected were mainly early‐stage invasive cancers, with percentages ranging from 64–97%. The ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS) detected with abbreviated MRI screening were predominately intermediate or high‐grade DCIS . This is in good agreement with a recent study by Sung et al, who found that in women at high breast cancer risk who underwent screening with both mammography and MRI, invasive cancers were more likely to be detected with MRI, while most cancers found with mammography were DCIS .…”

“…Multiple investigators are evaluating if these rapid MRI exams are cost‐effective enough to provide the initial diagnosis . In breast imaging, one of the goals is to evaluate if an abbreviated breast MRI may be a first‐line exam and compete with other imaging exams such as 2D screening mammograms, digital breast tomosynthesis, and whole breast screening ultrasound exam.…”

“…In efforts to overcome these limitations and facilitate increased access to screening breast MRI, Kuhl et al initially introduced an abbreviated breast MRI protocol for screening that substantially shortened examination and reading times; at the same time, this protocol maintained a diagnostic accuracy equivalent to a full diagnostic protocol . Thereafter, several other studies have investigated different abbreviated and high‐temporal resolution MRI protocols for breast cancer diagnosis and screening, with similar results . This review will provide an overview of the current published literature on abbreviated breast MRI and its potential clinical applications and challenges.…”

Abbreviated MRI Protocols in Breast Cancer Diagnostics

“…Commonly, contrast‐enhanced abbreviated breast MRI protocols consist of a localizer and a native as well as a single early postcontrast T 1 ‐weighted sequence . By subtracting the native from the enhanced scan, a subtraction mask is calculated that solely displays contrast‐enhancing areas .…”

Comparison between an abbreviated and full MRI protocol for detecting additional disease when doing breast cancer staging

“…Abbreviated MRI (aMRI) has been proposed in the screening scenario as a solution to reduce the examination length, and in turn maximize cost‐effectiveness, reduce reading time, and extend the access to the examination . aMRI was found to equal fpMRI in terms of sensitivity and specificity in this setting . To the best of our knowledge, little is known of the role for aMRI in staging BC, and in particular whether this approach is sufficiently accurate in detecting additional disease to represent a less time‐consuming and less difficult‐to‐interpret alternative to fpMRI.…”