Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 20, 2026

Contrast Imaging in Mouse Embryos Using High-frequency Ultrasound
Published on: March 4, 2015
Breast hamartoma: Ultrasound, elastosonographic, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound features
Gang Liu1, Zhi Li Wang2, Meng Ke Zhang2
1Department of Radiology, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, China.
Aims:
To present the ultrasound (US), shear-wave elastography (SWE), and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) features of breast hamartomas.
Subjects And Methods:
In this retrospective analysis, we included 36 breast hamartomas of 36 female patients who had been scheduled for US-guided vacuum-assisted biopsy (VAB) or surgical excision between May 2013 and October 2016. In the 36 patients, US, CEUS, and SWE were performed, and the pathology results from surgical or VAB were obtained. The US, SWE, and CEUS features of the lesions were analyzed.
Results:
All breast hamartomas had an oval-shaped and a circumscribed margin. Of the 36 hamartomas, 30 (83.3%) had heterogeneous echogenicity and 28 (77.8%) displayed no changes in posterior echogenicity. There were no significant differences in the maximum, mean, and minimum elasticity between the hamartomas and peripheral parenchyma (P = 0.885, 0.683, and 0.451, respectively). All hamartomas appeared with a clear edge on CEUS, and none showed lesion diameter expansion after the injection of contrast. Compared with the peripheral parenchyma, 10 hamartomas (27.8%) showed rapid perfusion mode, 23 (63.9%) showed equal perfusion mode, 24 (66.7%) showed equal enhancement, and 9 (25.0%) showed hyperenhancement. The mean peak intensity and area under the curve of hamartomas were significantly higher than those of peripheral parenchyma (P = 0.013 and P = 0.011, respectively). The peak time and increasing-start time were not significantly different between hamartomas and peripheral parenchyma (P = 0.321 and P = 0.215, respectively).
Conclusions:
Hamartomas have typical features on US, SWE, and CEUS. Applying multiple ultrasound techniques would be helpful for their diagnosis.
Related Concept Videos
Ultrasound II: Endoscopic Ultrasound and FibroScan
Endoscopic Ultrasound (EUS):
Ultrasound I: Abdominal Ultrasonography
Abdominal ultrasonography, commonly known as abdominal ultrasound, is a vital, non-invasive medical imaging technique widely used in healthcare.
Procedure:
This diagnostic tool allows the clinician to visually inspect internal structures within the abdomen, including vital organs such as the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, and spleen.
The abdominal ultrasound process begins with applying a special gel to the patient's skin over the abdomen. This gel enhances the...
Assessing Blood pressure using a doppler ultrasound
Pre-Procedural Guidelines for Doppler Ultrasound Blood Pressure Assessment:
Preparation of Equipment:
Phase Contrast and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy
In-phase-contrast microscopes, interference between light directly passing through a cell and light refracted by cellular components is used to create high-contrast, high-resolution images without staining. It is the oldest and simplest type of microscope that creates an image by altering the wavelengths of light rays passing through the specimen. Altered wavelength paths are created using an annular stop in the condenser. The annular stop produces a hollow cone of...
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
COPD: Pathogenesis and Clinical Features
The primary cause for the onset of COPD is cigarette smoking and exposure to air pollution. These hazardous factors initiate a chain reaction within the lungs, resulting in chronic inflammation, damage to the airways, and a...

