Diagnostic Utility of Automated Breast Volume Scan in Differentiating Benign and Malignant Breast Masses

This study aims to compare the diagnostic value of Automated Breast Volume Scan (ABVS) and Hand-Held Ultrasound (HHUS) in the characterization of breast masses and in differentiating benign and malignant breast masses. This is a prospective study on 101 patients with breast masses referred for ultrasound-guided biopsy. All patients underwent both HHUS (routine breast ultrasound) and ABVS of bilateral breasts and were classified according to the Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). All ultrasound parameters to assess the lesions were compared for sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy between the two modalities. All the patients enrolled underwent ultrasound-guided biopsy of the breast lesions. One hundred eight breast lesions were identified and characterized in the 101 patients studied. The negative predictive value (NPV) of BIRADS-3 lesions in excluding malignancy was 82.6% and 90% by HHUS and ABVS, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) of BIRADS-5 lesions in predicting malignancy was 94.7% and 98.4% by HHUS and ABVS, respectively. The two ultrasound (US) modalities showed substantial agreement (k = 0.613). The most sensitive lesion characteristic suggesting malignancy was found to be irregular shape on both ABVS and HHUS. The retraction phenomenon identified in the coronal plane of ABVS was 100% specific and had a PPV of 100% in predicting a malignant lesion. As the diagnostic accuracy is similar in both modalities for breast masses, ABVS proves to be a promising diagnostic tool for breast lesions with the advantages of being reproducible, operator-independent, and standardized.