[Power Doppler in breast diseases: preliminary results]

Since 1993, a new technique called power Doppler or color Doppler energy, based on Doppler signals, has been used to study the vascularization of various organs. Since power Doppler appears to permit better assessment of slow flow than color Doppler, we used this technique to study the vascularization of breast lesions. Seventy-five patients (age range: 33-81 years, mean: 53 years) were examined: 28 had simple or complex cysts, 4 cysts with internal echoes, 1 fibrocystic disease, 3 nodular fibrocystic disease, 12 fibroadenoma, 3 benign microcalcifications, 10 cancer, 3 scarring, 1 recurrent cancer, 7 axillary nodes; 3 young patients with no breast disease were also examined as a control group. All the patients were examined first with B-mode and then with color power Doppler; both during the exam and later on, in the study of similar sections, power Doppler signals were stronger and, in many cases, more numerous. Particularly, with power Doppler, in similar sections, 1-3 more signals were demonstrated in healthy women and 1-4 more signals in fibroadenomas with rich vascularization and in neoplasms, while in 2 cysts perilesional signals were demonstrated only with power Doppler. Color-Doppler semiology of breast lesions was confirmed. Thus, since the signals were stronger with power Doppler, we believe it to be a promising tool in the study of the vascularization of breast lesions which can provide useful diagnostic information as to lesion nature, the results of local treatment and the response to primary medical therapy, as well as in the study of axillary lymph nodes.