BREAST ULTRASOUND AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES

Technological advances are opening new fields of investigation for bre ast ultrasound. Specificity and color Doppler, staging and extended cl inical roles in benign conditions are reviewed according to the state- of-the-art technology. Annular arrays are the best technical choice bu t new broadband linear arrays approach their quality and allow to visu alize very slow flows within the breast. Still limitations exist and u ltrasound is not suitable for screening. Providing better definition o f normal as well as abnormal features, high-resolution sonography impr oves the specificity of the diagnosis for the majority of nodules and allows a better definition of both local and regional staging in nodul ar and diffuse conditions. Color Doppler and contrast media are increa sing ultrasound specificity and are particularly useful in evaluating vascularity during therapies. Impressive results are achieved in the s tudy of multifocal and multicentric carcinomas, in determining the deg ree of tumoral invasion of the surrounding tissues and of the ducts. L ocal and regional staging are greatly improved; the information given to the surgeon is more precise and allows easier therapeutic decisions . The diagnostic role of high-frequency ultrasound is also convincing in most benign conditions like inflammations, traumas and duct ectasia . In most of these conditions sonography is the best imaging modality to study the disease type and extent. The ability to monitor treatment efficacy or the natural outcome makes ultrasound and color Doppler a Sold standard for breast inflammations. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd. All rights reserved.