Diffusion-weighted imaging with simultaneous multi-slice echo-planar technique for the diagnosis of breast magnetic resonance imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic potential of simultaneous multi-slice echo-planar diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (SMS-DWI).

Materials And Methods: A total of 55 consecutive patients underwent breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) between April and September 2018. SMS-DWI and single-shot echo-planar DWI (SS-EPI-DWI) sequences were obtained with the following parameters: b value, 0, 850, and 1200 mm/s for both; spacing between sections, 2 mm for SMS-DWI and 3 mm for SS-EPI-DWI.

MRI Findings After Cryoablation of Primary Breast Cancer Without Surgical Resection.

Rationale And Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate findings on serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after cryoablation for breast cancer lesions without subsequent surgical resection.

Materials And Methods: This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and the requirement to obtain informed consent waived. Ductal carcinoma in situ or invasive carcinoma ≤15 mm, nuclear grade 1 or 2, estrogen receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor 2 negative without lymph node metastasis were treated with cryoablation without subsequent excision.

Shear Wave Speed of the Lesion in Preoperative Breast Ultrasonography: Association with Disease-free Survival of Patients with Primary Operable Invasive Breast Cancer.

Rationale And Objectives: We aimed to investigate the relationship between shear wave speed (SWS) of the lesion on preoperative breast ultrasonography (US) and disease-free survival of patients with primary operable invasive breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective study was approved by our Institutional Review Board. The requirement for informed consent was waived.

Preoperative breast MRI: reproducibility and significance of findings relevant to nipple-areolar complex involvement.

Background: Eligibility of nipple-sparing mastectomy has been expanded. The purpose of this study was to evaluate interobserver agreement regarding magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) descriptors important in determining eligibility for mastectomy, and to investigate the significance of enhancement extending to the areola concerning nipple-areolar complex (NAC) involvement.

Methods: Fifty-one cases with histologically confirmed NAC involvement and 54 cases with negative NAC were enrolled.

Breast MRI as a Problem-solving Study in the Evaluation of BI-RADS Categories 3 and 4 Microcalcifications: Is it Worth Performing?

Rationale And Objectives: We aimed to investigate the utility of problem-solving breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for mammographic Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) categories 3 and 4 microcalcifications.

Materials And Methods: Between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011, 138 women with 146 areas of categories 3 and 4 microcalcifications without sonographic correlates underwent breast MRI and had a stereotactic core biopsy using an 11-gauge needle or follow-up at least for 24 months. Positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value, sensitivity, and specificity were calculated on the basis of BI-RADS category, with categories 1-3 being considered benign and categories 4 and 5 being considered malignant.

Single focus on breast magnetic resonance imaging: diagnosis based on kinetic pattern and patient age.

Background Because of its small size, a focus in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) must be evaluated on the basis of characteristics other than morphologic features. Patient-related factors including patient age, in conjunction with lesion-related factors, could be useful for decision-making. Purpose To assess the probability of malignant foci based on both lesion- and patient-related factors, and to propose a relevant decision-making method.

Feasibility and potential limitations of abbreviated breast MRI: an observer study using an enriched cohort.

Background: Breast cancer screening using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been introduced in Western countries primarily for populations with an elevated risk of breast cancer. We conducted an observer study involving an experimental abbreviated MRI interpretation by Japanese radiologists, using an enriched cohort, to evaluate its feasibility in a screening setting.

Methods: Eighty-eight breast MRI examinations including 28 cases with breast cancer were enrolled as study subjects.

Descriptors of Malignant Non-mass Enhancement of Breast MRI: Their Correlation to the Presence of Invasion.

Rationale And Objectives: This study aims to investigate the clinical significance of malignant non-mass enhancement (NME) descriptors in breast magnetic resonance images by assessing their correlation to the presence of invasion or lymph node metastasis.

Materials And Methods: Three radiologists independently reviewed magnetic resonance images with malignant NMEs between January 2008 and December 2009. Distribution was assessed first, and then each of four internal enhancement patterns-clumped, clustered ring, branching, and hypointense area-was evaluated dichotomously (yes or no).

Morphology evaluation of nonmass enhancement on breast MRI: Effect of a three-step interpretation model for readers' performances and biopsy recommendations.

Objective: To evaluate and compare the use of a newly introduced interpretation model for breast nonmass enhancement (NME, defined as an area of enhancement without a three-dimensional, space-occupying lesion) with the use of the standard interpretation method based on BI-RADS.

Materials And Methods: Two expert and two less-experienced breast imaging radiologists performed reading sessions of 86 malignant and 64 benign NME lesions twice. First, radiologists characterized NME using BI-RADS descriptors and assessed the likelihood of malignancy and need for a biopsy.

Peritumoral apparent diffusion coefficients for prediction of lymphovascular invasion in clinically node-negative invasive breast cancer.

Objectives: To evaluate whether visual assessment of T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) or an apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) could predict lymphovascular invasion (LVI) status in cases with clinically node-negative invasive breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: One hundred and thirty-six patients with 136 lesions underwent MRI. Visual assessment of T2WI, tumour-ADC, peritumoral maximum-ADC and the peritumour-tumour ADC ratio (the ratio between them) were compared with LVI status of surgical specimens.

Two Distinct Types of Linear Distribution in Nonmass Enhancement at Breast MR Imaging: Difference in Positive Predictive Value between Linear and Branching Patterns.

Purpose: To compare positive predictive values (PPVs) of linearly distributed nonmass enhancement (NME) with linear and branching patterns and to identify imaging characteristics of NME that would enable classification as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 3 lesions.

Materials And Methods: The institutional review board approved this retrospective study and waived the requirement to obtain informed consent. Reports of breast magnetic resonance (MR) examinations (n = 9453) that described NME were reviewed from examinations performed at the study institution from January 2008 to December 2011.

Breast density: the trend in breast cancer screening.

The primary modality for breast cancer screening is mammography. Recent investigations, however, have indicated that an insufficient number of life-threatening cases have been detected by mammography while mammography can often results in a large number of overdiagnoses. To make breast cancer screening more effective, potential factors that influence screening efficacy need to be elucidated.

Evaluation of Kinetic Entropy of Breast Masses Initially Found on MRI using Whole-lesion Curve Distribution Data: Comparison with the Standard Kinetic Analysis.

Objectives: To quantify kinetic heterogeneity of breast masses that were initially detected with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI, using whole-lesion kinetic distribution data obtained from computer-aided evaluation (CAE), and to compare that with standard kinetic curve analysis.

Methods: Clinical MR images from 2006 to 2011 with breast masses initially detected with MRI were evaluated with CAE. The relative frequencies of six kinetic patterns (medium-persistent, medium-plateau, medium-washout, rapid-persistent, rapid-plateau, rapid-washout) within the entire lesion were used to calculate kinetic entropy (KE), a quantitative measure of enhancement pattern heterogeneity.

Accuracy of axillary lymph node staging in breast cancer patients: an observer-performance study comparison of MRI and ultrasound.

Purpose: To compare magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound (US) for axillary lymph node (LN) staging in breast cancer patients in an observer-performance study.

Materials And Methods: An observer-performance study was conducted with five breast radiologists reviewing 50 consecutive patients of newly diagnosed invasive breast cancer with the use of ipsilateral axillary MRI and US. LN status was pathologically proved in all patients.

Classification of breast lesions pre-contrast injection using water resonance lineshape analysis.

Inhomogeneously broadened, non-Lorentzian water resonances have been observed in small image voxels of breast tissue. The non-Lorentzian components of the water resonance are probably produced by bulk magnetic susceptibility shifts caused by dense, deoxygenated tumor blood vessels (the 'blood oxygenation level-dependent' effect), but can also be produced by other characteristics of local anatomy and physiology, including calcifications and interfaces between different types of tissue. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the detection of non-Lorentzian components of the water resonance with high spectral and spatial resolution (HiSS) MRI allows the classification of breast lesions without the need to inject contrast agent.

Comparing post-operative human breast specimen radiograph and MRI in lesion margin and volume assessment.

The purpose of this research is to evaluate the potential for identifying malignant breast lesions and their margins on large specimen MRI, in comparison to specimen radiography and clinical dynamic contrast enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI). Breast specimens were imaged with an MR scanner immediately after surgery, with an IRB-approved protocol and with the patients' informed consent. Specimen sizes were at least 5 cm in diameter and approximately 1 to 4 cm thick.

Non-contrast enhanced MRI for evaluation of breast lesions: comparison of non-contrast enhanced high spectral and spatial resolution (HiSS) images versus contrast enhanced fat-suppressed images.

Rationale And Objectives: The aims of this study were to evaluate high spectral and spatial resolution (HiSS) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the diagnosis of breast cancer without the injection of contrast media by comparing the performance of precontrast HiSS images to that of conventional contrast-enhanced, fat-suppressed, T1-weighted images on the basis of image quality and in the task of classifying benign and malignant breast lesions.

Materials And Methods: Ten benign and 44 malignant lesions were imaged at 1.5 T with HiSS (precontrast administration) and conventional fat-suppressed imaging (3-10 minutes after contrast administration).

The diverse pathology and kinetics of mass, nonmass, and focus enhancement on MR imaging of the breast.

Purpose: To compare the pathology and kinetic characteristics of breast lesions with focus-, mass-, and nonmass-like enhancement.

Materials And Methods: A total of 852 MRI detected breast lesions in 697 patients were selected for an IRB approved review. Patients underwent dynamic contrast enhanced MRI using one pre- and three to six postcontrast T(1)-weighted images.

Combined use of T2-weighted MRI and T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI in the automated analysis of breast lesions.

A multiparametric computer-aided diagnosis scheme that combines information from T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE)-MRI and T2-weighted MRI was investigated using a database of 110 malignant and 86 benign breast lesions. Automatic lesion segmentation was performed, and three categories of lesion features (geometric, T1-weighted DCE, and T2-weighted) were automatically extracted. Stepwise feature selection was performed considering only geometric features, only T1-weighted DCE features, only T2-weighted features, and all features.

Evaluation of clinical breast MR imaging performed with prototype computer-aided diagnosis breast MR imaging workstation: reader study.

Purpose: To evaluate a computer-aided diagnosis (CADx) system for dynamic contrast material-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and compare it with a currently used clinical method of interpreting breast MR image findings that includes the use of commercially available automated software for kinetic image data processing and visualization.

Materials And Methods: In this HIPAA-compliant, institutional review board-approved study, a training set of 121 breast lesions (77 malignant, 44 benign) was used to train the CADx system. After practicing with 10 training cases, six breast imaging radiologists assessed the likelihood of malignancy and the need for biopsy with a separate test set of 60 lesions (30 malignant, 30 benign).

Robust segmentation of mass-lesions in contrast-enhanced dynamic breast MR images.

Purpose: To develop and evaluate a computerized segmentation method for breast MRI (BMRI) mass-lesions.

Materials And Methods: A computerized segmentation algorithm was developed to segment mass-like-lesions on breast MRI. The segmentation algorithm involved: (i) interactive lesion selection, (ii) automatic intensity threshold estimation, (iii) connected component analysis, and (iv) a postprocessing procedure for hole-filling and leakage removal.

Breast cancers not detected at MRI: review of false-negative lesions.

Objective: The objective of our study was to determine the sensitivity of cancer detection at breast MRI using current imaging techniques and to evaluate the characteristics of lesions with false-negative examinations.

Materials And Methods: Two hundred seventeen patients with 222 newly diagnosed breast cancers or highly suspicious breast lesions that were subsequently shown to be malignant underwent breast MRI examinations for staging. Two breast imaging radiologists performed a consensus review of the breast MRI examinations.

MR-directed ("Second-Look") ultrasound examination for breast lesions detected initially on MRI: MR and sonographic findings.

Objective: The objective of our study was to assess the clinical utility of MR-directed ("second-look") ultrasound examination to search for breast lesions detected initially on MRI.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed of the records of 158 consecutive patients (202 lesions) with breast abnormalities initially detected on MRI between July 2003 and May 2006. All lesions were detected as enhancing findings on a dynamic contrast MR study and were subsequently evaluated with ultrasound.

Relating dose of contrast media administered to uptake and washout of malignant lesions on DCEMRI of the breast.

Rationale And Objectives: To quantify the relationship between dose of contrast administered and contrast kinetics of malignant breast lesions.

Materials And Methods: A total of 108 patients with 120 malignant lesions were selected for an institutional review board-approved review. Dynamic magnetic resonance protocol: one pre- and three or five post-contrast (at a fixed volume of 20 mL of 0.