[Morphometric analysis of fibrocystic breast disease]

We used the automated microscopic image analysis (system "Robotron A 6471"; software AMBA/R) to study the ductal epithelium in biopsies from 88 patients with fibrocystic breast disease, including 52 with proliferative mastopathy. Significant differences were demonstrated using reproducible data and selective caryo- and histometric parameters which allowed the separation of ductal hyperplasia and ductal cell proliferation with atypia. In addition, multiparameter analysis indicated that cases with proliferative mastopathy III can be separated into two groups which have probably a different high risk with respect to carcinoma.