The indeterminate breast mass: assessment using contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast was performed on 25 lesions in 24 patients. These lesions were indeterminate on clinical and mammographic examination. The imaging findings were compared with pathological results in all cases. Conventional T1 and T2 spin echo images provided a certain diagnosis in only one case. The pattern of signal enhancement following gadolinium diethylamine triamine pentaacetic acid injection as demonstrated by a T1-weighted gradient recalled echo sequence permitted accurate diagnosis of four recurrent carcinomas and 19 cases of non-malignant disease (17 postoperative scars and two cases of benign breast disease). One false positive diagnosis of cancer was made in a case of fibroadenoma. Dynamic contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging may have a role in the assessment of the indeterminate breast mass.