Evaluation of plasma cell mastitis with superb microvascular imaging

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Medical Imaging
• Oncology

Background:

• Plasma cell mastitis (PCM) presents clinical and radiological similarities to breast cancer, complicating diagnosis.
• Accurate differentiation is crucial for appropriate patient management and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of superb microvascular imaging (SMI) in distinguishing plasma cell mastitis (PCM) from malignant breast lesions.
• To compare the diagnostic performance of conventional ultrasound (US) with the combined US+SMI approach.

Main Methods:

• Ninety-five breast lesions were examined using conventional ultrasound (US) and SMI.
• Quantitative analysis of micro-vessel blood flow parameters, including resistance index (RI) and pulsatility index (PI), was performed.
• Diagnostic performance metrics (sensitivity, specificity, accuracy) were assessed for US alone and US+SMI.

Main Results:

• Plasma cell mastitis lesions typically showed regular shapes and lacked calcifications compared to malignant lesions.
• PCM exhibited significantly lower mean RI and PI values than malignant lesions (P < 0.05).
• The combined US+SMI approach demonstrated superior diagnostic performance (83.16% accuracy) compared to US alone (75.59% accuracy).

Conclusions:

• Superb microvascular imaging (SMI) is an effective novel ultrasound technology for visualizing micro-vasculature in breast lesions.
• The integration of US with SMI significantly enhances the diagnostic accuracy in differentiating plasma cell mastitis from malignant breast carcinomas.