Real-time spatial compound imaging in breast ultrasound.

To determine the role of real-time spatial compound imaging in breast ultrasound (US), 38 patients with a total of 50 benign changes (fibroadenomas, cysts, lactiferous duct dilatation) underwent both conventional B-mode US and real-time spatial compound imaging under standardized examination settings. Subsequently, images were reviewed independently by three readers experienced in breast US and evaluated according to a multistage scoring system with regard to the presence of artefacts, delineation of boundaries and depiction of internal structures. With significant reader concordance, real-time spatial compound imaging was found to produce speckle reduction with improvement of tissue differentiation, increased conspicuity of low-contrast lesions, enhanced delineation of capsular margins and ducts, and improved depiction of internal architecture of solid lesions, as well as clearer visualization of cystic contents due to clutter reduction.