The role of enhanced Doppler ultrasound in differentiation of benign vs. malignant scar lesion after breast surgery for malignancy

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the benefit of echo-contrast-enhanced Doppler sonography in the differentiation of benign vs. malignant breast lesions after surgical removal of a malignant breast mass.

Methods: Thirty-eight patients referred for biopsy of a palpable, suspicious scar lesion 1-15 years (mean 3.3 years) after surgery for breast cancer were examined. During baseline ultrasound examination a subjective scoring system of the vascularity, the number, the regularity of vessels' course and their Doppler parameters were assessed. After injection of an ultrasound contrast agent (Levovist) the same scoring system was applied to the parameters together with enhancement kinetics, enhancement intensity and enhancement pattern. Any increase in the scoring level of two or more characteristics (vascularity, number of vessels, intensity of enhancement in the tumor or regularity score of vessels in the lesion) was defined as suspicious for malignancy. A marked increase of enhancement in the immediate tumor periphery was also regarded as suspicious for malignancy. The sonographic results were assessed prospectively and correlated with the histology of the lesion.

Results: Of the 38 patients with a clinically-suspicious scar lesion, there were 28 true scars and 10 malignant scar lesions. All scar lesions showed no or slight vascularity on baseline sonography. After Echocontrast-enhancement a significant increase in tumor vascularity and the number of tumor vessels could be demonstrated in all 10 malignant lesions but in only one of the 28 benign scars.

Conclusion: Scars pose inherent technical problems for optimal mammography. Sonographic evaluation of the vascularity of the lesion with contrast enhancing agents showed improved diagnostic accuracy in the hands of an experienced examiner.