Improving the Diagnostic Accuracy of Breast BI-RADS 4 Microcalcification-Only Lesions Using Contrast-Enhanced...

Contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) is a novel breast imaging technique that can provide additional information of breast tissue blood supply. This study aimed to test the possibility of CEM in improving the diagnostic accuracy of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) 4 calcification-only lesions with consideration of morphology and distribution.

Data of patients with suspicious malignant calcification-only lesions (BI-RADS 4) on low-energy CEM and proved pathologic diagnoses were retrospectively collected. Two junior radiologists independently reviewed the two sets of CEM images, low-energy images (LE) to describe the calcifications by morphology and distribution type, and recombined images (CE) to record the presence of enhancement. Low-risk and high-risk groups were divided by calcification morphology, distribution, and both, respectively. Positive predictive values and misdiagnosis rates (MDR) were compared between LE-only reading and CE reading. Diagnostic performance was also tested using machine learning method.

The study included 74 lesions (26 malignant and 48 benign). Positive predictive values were significantly higher and MDRs were significantly lower using CE images than using LE alone for both the low-risk morphology type and low-risk distribution type (P < .05). MDRs were significantly lower when using CE images (18.18%-24.00%) than using LE images alone in low-risk group (76.36%-80.00%) (P < .05). Using a machine learning method, significant improvements in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were observed in both low-risk and high-risk groups.

CEM has the potential to aid in the diagnosis of BI-RADS 4 calcification-only lesions; in particular, those presented as low risk in morphology and/or distribution may benefit more.