Differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions with T2-weighted first pass perfusion imaging

• Published in: Acta radiologica (1987) Vol. 40; no. 1; p. 45
• Main Authors: Kvistad, K A, Lundgren, S, Fjøsne, H E, Smenes, E, Smethurst, H B, Haraldseth, O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-01-1999
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Breast - pathology; Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast - diagnosis; Contrast Media; Diagnosis, Differential; Female; Fibroadenoma - diagnosis; Fibrocystic Breast Disease - diagnosis; Gadolinium DTPA; Humans; Image Enhancement; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Injections, Intravenous; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Middle Aged; Precancerous Conditions - diagnosis; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0284-1851
• DOI: 10.1080/02841859909174402

Invasive breast carcinomas and fibroadenomas are often difficult to differentiate in dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MR imaging of the breast, because both tumors can enhance strongly after contrast injection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of T2*-weighted first pass perfusion imaging can increase the differentiation of malignant from benign lesions.
Nine patients with invasive carcinomas and 10 patients with contrast enhancing fibroadenomas were examined by a dynamic contrast-enhanced T1-weighted 3D sequence immediately followed by a single slice T2*-weighted first pass perfusion sequence positioned in the contrast-enhancing lesion.
The carcinomas and the fibroadenomas were impossible to differentiate based on the contrast enhancement characteristics in the T1-weighted sequence. The signal loss in the T2*-weighted perfusion sequence was significantly stronger in the carcinomas than in the fibroadenomas (p = 0.0004).
Addition of a T2*-weighted first pass perfusion sequence with a high temporal resolution can probably increase the differentiation of fibroadenomas from invasive carcinomas in contrast-enhanced MR imaging of the breast.