Assessing tumor vascularity in breast neoplasms by ultrasonography

Ultrasonography is a simple and reliable non-invasive method in tumor vascularity detection of breast neoplasms. Tumor vascularity morphometric and topological characteristic in breast neoplasms provides an important basis for differentiation between benign and malignant lesions. Studies indicate that visual blood vessel shape and direction, velocity, properties of blood flow can be satisfactorily shown by color Doppler flow imaging(CDFI). But CDFI is confined by the angle between acoustic beam and blood flow. Power Doppler ultrasound (PDU) can overcome the difficulties mentioned above, but can not offer the information of blood velocities and motion error. The intratumoral flow features can clearly and visually shown by three-dimensional ultrasonography (3DUS) and contrast- enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). 3 DUS and CEUS will be new potential diagnosis techniques in vascularity estimation of breast neoplasms. Key words: Breast neoplasms; Blood vessels; Ultrasonography