MENSTRUAL-CYCLE AND AGE - INFLUENCE ON PARENCHYMAL CONTRAST-MEDIUM ENHANCEMENT IN MR-IMAGING OF THE BREAST

PURPOSE: To evaluate the influence of menstrual cycle and age on paren chymal contrast medium enhancement in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Dynamic gadolinium-enhanced fast low-angle shot, three-dimensional breast MR imaging was performed wit h high temporal and spatial resolution (eight measurements in 10 minut es). Menstrual cycle evaluations and age-influence studies were perfor med in 44 patients aged 27-55 years with a regular cycle (mean age, 41 .5 years) and in 103 patients aged 15-79 years (mean age, 49.3 years), respectively. A region of interest was placed in each quadrant of the breast for evaluation of parenchymal enhancement. Patients who had qu adrants with involutions or lesions or who received hormonal therapy w ere excluded. Analysis of variance was performed. RESULTS: Parenchymal contrast medium enhancement in cycle days 7-20 (geometric mean enhanc ement at minutes 1-10 = 0.12-0.47) was significantly lower than that i n cycle days 21-6 (geometric mean, 0.17-0.98; P less than or equal to .001). Contrast medium enhancement in patients aged 35-50 years (mean enhancement, 0.17-0.75) was significantly higher than that in patients aged younger than 35 years or older than 50 years (mean enhancement, 0.12-0.40; P < .01). CONCLUSION: Patients showed statistically signifi cantly lower parenchymal enhancement in menstrual cycle days 7-20 than in days 21-6. Patients aged 35-50 years yielded higher parenchymal en hancement than did younger patients and older patients.