[The role of imaging techniques in benign breast lesions]

Imaging techniques in breast pathology represent a basic complement to clinical and histopathological examinations. The combined use of these diagnostic procedures allows in the 90-95% of all cases a preoperative diagnosis of the lesion. Our fifteen years experience, made of thousands of examinations, supported from the data from current literature lead us to stress on one side the efficacy of mammography, that may be considered one of the three basic step in the differentiation of benign from malignant lesions and on the other hand the importance of ultrasonography (US). Especially US seems to have a high sensitivity in examining the juvenile breast, which is more often source of benign pathology. Mammography, when supported by a stereotactic equipment, which enables the surgeon to perform a wire guided biopsy, may further reduce the need for intraoperative histopathological examinations, which often have to be done under general anaesthesia. Old or controversial imaging devices like thermography or diafanoscopy appear to have no more role in the preoperative diagnosis of breast masses. Newer techniques like nuclear magnetic resonance or breast scintigraphy with 99-Tc have not gained an exact role yet.