Characteristics of breast neoplasms on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography and its clinical value

Objective To investigate the characteristics of breast neoplasms on contrast-enhanced ultrasonography(CEUS) and its clinical value.Methods Two hundred and twenty-five patients with breast masses unable to be diagnosed by conventional ultrasonography were examined with CEUS.The characteristics of these masses on CEUS were analyzed and compared with the results of pathology examination.Results The typical features of breast cancers on CEUS were enlarged maximum diameter of the lesions on CEUS compared to pre-contrast ( P ＜0.05),irregular shapes,heterogeneous distribution of contrast enhancement with perfusion defect or local retention of contrast signals,tortuous,massive or penetrating vessels rapidly entering and exporting from the lesions.The sensitivity and specificity of perfusion defect for breast cancer on CEUS were 89.0％ and 91.8％,respectively; the sensitivity and specificity of local retention of contrast signals for breast cancer on CEUS were 93.4％ and 92.5％,respectively.Conclusions It is valuable for CEUS in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of breast neoplasms clinically. Key words: Ultrasonography; Microbubbles ; Breast neoplasms