Cs. Leong et al., Characterization of breast lesion morphology with delayed 3DSSMT: An adjunct to dynamic breast MRI, J MAGN R I, 11(2), 2000, pp. 87-96
lThe purpose of the study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity
of various morphologic criteria in distinguishing malignant from benign bre
ast lesions using a new sequence (3DSSMT) performed immediately after dynam
ic breast MRI, 3DSSMT combines a water-selective spectral-spatial excitatio
n and an on-resonance magnetization transfer pulse with three-dimensional s
poiled gradient-echo imaging, Morphologic features of 87 pathologically con
firmed lesions were analyzed. The presence of either skin thickening, or a
combination of a spiculated or microlobulated border, with a rim, ductal, l
inear, or clumped enhancement pattern was 94% specific and 54% sensitive fo
r malignancy. Conversely, the presence of either a perfectly smooth border,
a well-defined margin, non-enhancing internal septations, or a macrolobula
ted border was 97% specific and 35% sensitive for a benign diagnosis, In co
nclusion, delayed 3DSSMT discriminates a significant number of benign and m
alignant breast lesions; it has the potential to improve the diagnostic acc
uracy of dynamic breast MRI. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.