The clinical value of conventional ultrasound combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of BI-RADS 4 lesions detected by magnetic resonance imaging

Abstract

Objective To determine the value of conventional ultrasound combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) Category 4 lesions as detected by MRI. Methods A total of 176 breast lesions from 171 patients were detected by MRI and categorised as BI-RADS 4. All patients also underwent ultrasound and CEUS scans. The combination of ultrasound-BI-RADS and CEUS 5-point scoring system created the Rerated BI-RADS (referred to as CEUS-BI-RADS). The diagnostic performances of ultrasound and CEUS-BI-RADS were then compared. A χ2 test was used to compare the CEUS features of mass-like and non-mass-like enhancement types of MRI-BI-RADS 4 lesions. Results There were 167 (167/176) breast lesions detected by ultrasound, with a detection rate of 94.89%, while all were subsequently detected by “second-look” ultrasound combined with CEUS, with a detection rate of 100%. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for ultrasound and CEUS-BI-RADS were 0.810 and 0.940, respectively. The diagnostic efficiency of CEUS-BI-RADS was significantly higher than that of ultrasound alone (z = 3.264, p = 0.001). For both mass-like and non-mass-like enhancement types of MRI-BI-RADS 4 lesions, CEUS-BI-RADS demonstrated satisfactory sensitivity and accuracy. Moreover, 29 (29/176) category 4 lesions were downgraded to 3 by CEUS-BI-RADS. Conclusion Ultrasound combined with CEUS can allow reclassification, reduce biopsy rates, and facilitate pre-surgical localisation for biopsy or surgery for MRI-BI-RADS 4 lesions. Advances in knowledge For MRI-BI-RADS Category 4 lesions with a wide range of malignancies, ultrasound combined with CEUS is a promising diagnostic approach with high clinical utility.