Efficacy of Second-Look Ultrasound with MR Coregistration for Evaluating Additional Enhancing Lesions of the Breast: Review of the Literature

Abstract

Contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) has acquired a central role in the field of diagnosis and evaluation of breast cancer due to its high sensitivity; on the other hand, MRI has shown a variable specificity because of the wide overlap between the imaging features of benign and malignant lesions. Therefore, when an additional breast lesion is identified at CE-MRI, a second look with targeted US is generally performed because it provides additional information to further characterise the target lesion and makes it possible to perform US-guided biopsies which are costless and more comfortable for patients compared with MRI-guided ones. Nevertheless, there is not always a correspondence between CE-MR findings and targeted US due to several factors including different operator’s experience and position of patients. A new technique has recently been developed in order to overcome these limitations: US with MR coregistration, which can synchronise a sonography image and the MR image with multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) of the same section in real time. The aim of our study is to review the literature concerning the second look performed with this emerging and promising technique, showing both advantages and limitations in comparison with conventional targeted US.