Role of breast sonography in imaging of adolescents with palpable solid breast masses

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of sonography in the diagnosis and management of palpable solid breast masses in adolescents and to correlate the sonographic findings with the histopathologic findings and clinical outcome.

A retrospective study was conducted with the breast sonograms of 20 adolescent girls 13-19 years old who presented with palpable breast masses found to be solid at breast sonography. The Stavros sonographic criteria were used to assess the benignity or malignancy of solid breast masses. All sonographic findings were correlated with histopathologic or clinical follow-up findings.

Sonography showed 21 solid masses in 20 patients (one patient had bilateral solid breast masses). All but six solid masses were presumed benign according to the Stavros sonographic criteria. All solid masses were proved benign at histopathologic or clinical follow-up examination.

Sonography was not useful for predicting the histologic diagnosis of all solid benign breast masses in adolescent patients. The Stavros sonographic criteria, however, were useful for predicting benignity in 65% of the breast masses on which histopathologic examination was performed. Tissue biopsy may be performed on solid breast masses that do not meet the criteria for benign masses according to the Stavros sonographic criteria.