Breast MR imaging with commercially available techniques: radiologic-pathologic correlation
E S Fobben1, C Z Rubin, L Kalisher
1Department of Radiology, Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston, NJ 07039, USA.
Purpose:
To evaluate the clinical utility of dynamic gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the breast with commercially available techniques in patients scheduled for excisional biopsy.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 91 breast abnormalities, 70 benign and 21 malignant, were evaluated. Thin-section three-dimensional gradient-echo images were obtained before and 2, 4, and 7 minutes after injection of contrast material. Three radiologists prospectively evaluated the mammograms and MR images.
Results:
The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.820 for mammography and 0.893 for MR imaging (P = .67). Sensitivity of MR imaging was 82.5%, compared with 74.6% for mammography. Specificity of MR imaging was 82.5%, compared with 79.1% for mammography. Enhancement profiles showed early intense enhancement in malignancies but considerable overlap with enhancement of benign disease.
Conclusion:
Breast MR imaging is a slightly more sensitive modality than mammography but not a highly specific technique for evaluating breast lesions. It has utility in several clinical situations but should not be used as a substitute for biopsy or general screening.
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