UTILITY OF MAGNETIC-RESONANCE-IMAGING AND ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN DIAGNOSING BREAST IMPLANT RUPTURE

We prospectively evaluated 81 patients (with 160 implants) who subsequ ently had implants removed to determine sensitivity and specificity of both magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography. Positive and neg ative predictive values were also calculated to determine whether a st atistically beneficial interaction existed when ultrasonography and ma gnetic resonance imaging were used in combination to examine an implan t. Finally, the misdiagnoses were retrospectively evaluated to identif y the pitfalls of the investigations. Positive diagnostic criteria wer e described. The sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography were 4 7% and 83%, respectively, and of MRI, 46% and 88%, respectively. On re trospective review by the radiologist, the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasonography were 70% and 90%, respectively, and of magnetic re sonance imaging, 75.6% and 94%, respectively. Although definite conclu sions could not be obtained, there did not seem to be an additive bene fit from using both ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging.