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Published on: December 15, 2014
Quantitative perfusion parameters of benign inflammatory breast pathologies: A descriptive study.
Elif Ayse Ucar1, Irmak Durur-Subasi2, Kerim Bora Yilmaz3
1Bor Public Hospital, Clinic of Radiology, Nigde, Turkey; University of Health Sciences, Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, Clinic of Radiology, Ankara, Turkey.
Perfusion MRI reveals inflammatory breast lesions share higher Ktrans and Kep values, and lower Ve values with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), making differentiation difficult. These quantitative perfusion parameters do not reliably distinguish inflammatory lesions from IDC.
Area of Science:
- Radiology
- Oncology
- Breast Imaging
Background:
- Benign inflammatory breast lesions can mimic malignant masses on imaging.
- Perfusion MRI offers quantitative parameters to assess tissue vascularity.
- Differentiating inflammatory lesions from invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is clinically important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate perfusion MRI features of benign inflammatory breast lesions.
- To compare Ktrans, Kep, and Ve values and kinetic curves of inflammatory lesions with benign masses and IDC.
- To assess the utility of quantitative perfusion parameters in differentiating these breast lesions.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of perfusion MRIs from 42 benign masses, 25 inflammatory lesions, and 16 IDCs.
- Evaluation of Ktrans, Kep, Ve values, and contrast kinetic curves.
- Statistical comparison using Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U, and chi-square tests.
- Assessment of intra- and interobserver reliability using Cronbach alpha.
Main Results:
- Inflammatory lesions and IDC showed significantly higher mean Ktrans and Kep values compared to benign masses (p < 0.001).
- Mean Ve values were lower in inflammatory lesions and IDC compared to benign masses (p = 0.045).
- Kinetic curve patterns differed significantly, with progressive patterns in benign and inflammatory lesions, and plateau patterns in IDC (p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Inflammatory breast lesions exhibit higher Ktrans and Kep and lower Ve values on T1 perfusion MRI, similar to IDC.
- Quantitative perfusion parameters are insufficient to differentiate inflammatory lesions from IDC.
- Further research may be needed to identify specific imaging biomarkers for distinguishing inflammatory breast lesions.
