Three-dimensional shear-wave elastography for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions: comparison with...

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Diagnostic Ultrasound
• Breast Imaging

Background:

• Shear-wave elastography (SWE) is an ultrasound technique measuring tissue stiffness.
• Evaluating breast lesions with SWE can enhance diagnostic information.
• Comparison between 2D and 3D SWE for breast lesion assessment is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the interobserver agreement of 3D SWE and 2D SWE for breast lesions.
• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of 3D SWE versus 2D SWE.
• To assess the added diagnostic value of SWE to B-mode ultrasound.

Main Methods:

• 163 breast lesions in 146 women were analyzed using B-mode ultrasound and SWE.
• Two radiologists reviewed B-mode, 2D SWE, and 3D SWE datasets.
• Interobserver variability was assessed using kappa statistic; diagnostic performance was evaluated using AUC.

Main Results:

• 2D SWE showed higher agreement and superior diagnostic performance (AUC) compared to 3D SWE.
• The combination of 2D SWE with B-mode ultrasound significantly increased diagnostic performance.
• 3D SWE, when added to B-mode ultrasound, did not yield a significant diagnostic improvement.

Conclusions:

• 3D SWE offers good interobserver agreement but is diagnostically inferior to 2D SWE.
• 2D SWE significantly enhances the diagnostic capabilities of B-mode ultrasound for breast lesions.
• 3D SWE's diagnostic performance is not significantly improved by its combination with B-mode ultrasound.