SCINTIMAMMOGRAPHY - THE COMPLEMENTARY ROLE OF TC-99M SESTAMIBI PRONE BREAST IMAGING FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST-CARCINOMA

PURPOSE: To evaluate the complementary role of technetium-99m sestamib i scintimammography in improvement of the sensitivity and specificity of mammography in detection of carcinoma of the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At 5 and 60 minutes after intravenous injection of Tc-99m ses tamibi, scintimammograms were obtained in 147 women (age range, 18-73 years; mean age, 47.9 years +/- 10.2 [standard deviation]) with 153 le sions that warranted breast biopsy (102 lesions) or fine-needle aspira tion cytologic analysis (51 lesions). There were 113 palpable and 40 n onpalpable lesions. Lesion size on mammograms was 0.8 x 0.6 cm to 15.0 x 11.0 cm (mean, 2.82 cm +/- 1.71 x 2.39 cm +/- 1.56). RESULTS: Scint imammographic findings were true-positive in 47 biopsy-confirmed carci nomas, true-negative in 91 benign lesions, false-positive in 11 lesion s with benign histopathologic findings (fibrocystic disease [n = 8] or fibroadenoma [n = 3]), and false-negative in four lesions of infiltra ting ductal carcinoma. The sensitivity of scintimammography was 92.2%; specificity, 89.2%; positive predictive value, 81.0%; and negative pr edictive value, 95.8%. CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that scintimam mography is a sensitive test that can improve the detection of breast carcinoma.