COLOR-CODED SIGNAL-ENHANCED DUPLEX SONOGR APHY OF SPACE-OCCUPYING INTRAMAMMARY PROCESSES

Purpose: prospective comparison of plain and signal-enhanced frequency and amplitude-modulated colour Doppler ultrasound of intramammary tum ours to evaluate new criteria for diagnostic analysis. Methods: Freque ncy and amplitude-modulated colour Doppler examination with qualitativ e and quantitative analysis of 80 potentially malignant intramammary l esions were performed before and after application of d-galactose. Res ults: Signal-enhanced sonography revealed a typical vessel morphology of primary and recurrent breast cancer facilitating differential diagn osis. In 18 (frequency modulated US) or 16 (amplitude modulated US) of 51 carcinomas, the typical malignant vascularisation structure was su fficiently visible only after application of the signal enhancing agen t. in 50 % of the fibroadenomas, Doppler analysis of the vessels was p ossible only after application of d-galactose. Conclusion: The applica tion of d-galactose provides additional criteria for the differential diagnosis of breast lesions due to improved visualisation of the vascu larisation structure.