Can Magnetic Resonance Imaging Replace Mammography and Ultrasonography for the Detection of Breast Lesions?

Abstract

Objective We aimed to evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the visualization of breast lesions and to estimate whether MRI can be a reliable alternative to mammography (MG) and ultrasonography (USG) for this purpose. Materials and methods In this retrospective, single-center study, an analysis of medical files of 260 patients with breast masses as breast imaging reports and data system (BI-RADS) 4 and 5 at MRI was performed. The features of the breast lump, such as the side, location, multi foci or multicentricity, histopathological diagnosis, contrast-enhancement characteristics, radiological, and pathological axillary involvement, were noted. Consistency between MRI-BIRADS and MG+USG-BIRADS, as well as the association between lesion characteristics, was sought. Results The agreement ratio between the BI-RADS categories of MRI and MG+USG was 0.654 while consistency between histopathological diagnosis and MRI BI-RADS category was 0.838. The agreement between the BI-RADS category of MG+USG and histopathological diagnosis was 0.819. The consistency between MRI BI-RADS and MG+USG BI-RADS increased remarkably with the advancement of age. Similarly, the consistency between MRI BI-RADS and histopathological diagnosis tends to increase with the advancement of age. Nonmass contrast enhancement yielded the highest agreement ratios between MRI BI-RADS and MG+USG BI-RADS, histopathological diagnosis and MRI BI-RADS, and histopathological diagnosis and MG+USG BI-RADS. Conclusion Dynamic MRI is a useful and reliable method for imaging breast neoplasms. However, it is not devoid of disadvantages such as cost, attainability, and contrast use and it should be reserved as a problem-solving technique to be used in conjunction with conventional methods including MG and USG.

Keywords: bi-rads; breast tumor; imaging; magnetic resonance imaging; mammography; ultrasonography.

Figure 1. Benign sclerosing adenoma lesion

Nonmass enhancement in the upper outer quadrant in the left breast was detected on maximum intensity projection (a), on the subtracted image (b), and on the first passage of dynamic enhancement images (c). The lesion was consistent with sclerosing adenosis.

Figure 2. Benign sclerosing adenoma lesion

A structural distortion area was detected in the lower outer quadrant of the left breast on the second (a) and sixth passages of dynamic enhancement images (b). The lesion was sclerosing adenosis.