Through-transmission US applied to breast imaging

Rationale and Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the app lication of a new method of through-transmission ultrasonography (US) to br east imaging. Materials and Methods. Through-transmission US was used to image breast tis sue in 18 women; 12 had no known lesions, and six had masses, five of which were palpable. Of those with no known lesions, two had implants, and two h ad mammary duct ectasia. Lesion sizes and locations on the through-transmis sion sonograms were correlated with findings from conventional imaging to d etermine successful imaging. Histopathologic findings and lesion size were recorded from pathology reports. Detailed comparative analyses of through-t ransmission US, conventional x-ray mammography, and conventional US were pe rformed. The following lesion variables were compared: maximum diameter, sh ape, margins, and internal architecture. Results. Through-transmission US produced images of all masses, some of whi ch were mammographically occult. Comparisons among through-transmission US, mammography, and conventional US showed high correlation in lesion charact eristics such as maximum diameter, shape, margins, and internal architectur e. For two malignant masses, through-transmission US appeared to be more ac curate in assessing tumor extent, compared with mammography and conventiona l US. Conclusion. This new method of through-transmission US produces images of b reast tissue in women with a variety of breast types and can be used to det ect and characterize a variety of lesions, some of which are mammographical ly occult.