Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2011 Oct;32(5):504-10.
doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1273414. Epub 2011 May 31.

[Automated breast ultrasound vs. handheld ultrasound: BI-RADS classification, duration of the examination and patient comfort]

[Article in German]
H Prosch  1 , C Halbwachs, C Strobl, L-M Reisner, M Hondl, M Weber, G H Mostbeck
Affiliations
Comparative Study

[Automated breast ultrasound vs. handheld ultrasound: BI-RADS classification, duration of the examination and patient comfort]

[Article in German]
H Prosch et al. Ultraschall Med. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose: Automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) is a potentially valuable adjunct to mammography in breast cancer screening. The reliability and the inter-observer variability in the BI-RADS classification, compared to handheld ultrasound (US), as well as the duration of the examination and patient comfort have only been investigated in a limited number of papers to date.

Materials and methods: In a prospective study, we examined 148 breasts of 76 patients with handheld US and ABUS. The ABUS data were evaluated separately by two investigators. Patient comfort was assessed using a standardized questionnaire.

Results: The inter-observer agreement for the BI-RADS classification among the two observers using ABUS was high (κ = 0,750), the agreement with handheld US was moderate. The sensitivity in the detection of breast cancer was 87.5 % for handheld US and 75 % for the ABUS evaluation by observer 1. The sensitivity was 87.5 % for the ABUS evaluation and 83 % for mammography by observer 2. The ABUS examination was rated as completely painless by 64 % of the patients. 25 % of the patients indicated minor pain, and 10 % indicated moderate pain. Handheld US was rated as completely painless by 66 % of the patients. 26 % of the patients indicated minor pain, and 8 % indicated moderate pain.

Conclusion: ABUS examinations focusing on the BIRADS classification have low inter-observer variability, compared to handheld US. The sensitivity of ABUS did not differ significantly from handheld US.

PubMed Disclaimer

Publication types