Gray scale sonography of breast masses in adolescent girls

Objective. To assess the sonographic findings of breast masses in adolescen ts and the usefulness of sonographic patterns for suggesting a specific dia gnosis. Methods. The sonograms and medical records of 57 girls (mean age, 1 5.4 years) with palpable breast masses were retrospectively reviewed. Three observers reviewed the sonograms for multiple sonographic findings. Surger y or clinical findings established diagnoses. Statistical analysis was done to determine how well sonographic findings alone and in combination agreed with final histologic diagnoses. Results. Diagnoses included cysts (n = 12 ), abscesses (n = 7), fibroadenomas (n = 36), a lactating adenoma (n = 1), and a phyllodes tumor (n = 1). The sonographic findings varied significantl y among lesion types (P less than or equal to .005). Conclusions. Our exper ience suggests that virtually ail breast masses in a pediatric population a re benign and that sonography has the ability to differentiate among cystic , inflammatory, and solid masses.