The Role of Pre-Contrast Sequences of an MRI-Guided Breast Biopsy in Localizing a Target

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective study aims to assess the role of pre-contrast sequences of an MRI-guided breast biopsy (MRIB) exam in confident and accurate lesion site localization based on tissue landmarks. Methods: The charts of all consecutives MRIB that were performed between January 2018 and December 2020 were reviewed. The images of the eligible exams were analyzed by 3 breast radiologists. Each radiologist independently attempted to identify lesion site on pre-contrast MRIB sequences, while blinded to the post-contrast MRIB images. Confidence levels (I-confident, II-not confident, and III-unknown) were assigned by each reviewer. A fourth radiologist assessed the accuracy (≤5 mm-accurate, >5 mm-inaccurate) in lesion site localization using the actual biopsied lesion site and the post-contrast MRIB images as reference. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the percentage of confidence and accuracy categories for each reviewer, with Chi-square tests applied to analyze relationships between categorical variables. Results: There were 174 female patients with 181 lesions eligible for the trial. When the lesion site is confidently identified on the pre-contrast MRIB images (level 1 confidence), mean grade 1 accuracy was 93.8% ( P < .001). Accuracy decreased with Level II and III confidence (55.3% and 34.2% respectively). Up to 61.4% improved accuracy was demonstrated when combining the performance of 2 reviewers. No correlation was found between breast density, lesion morphology, or biopsy positioning with confidence level or accuracy grade. Conclusion: Careful review of the pre-contrast MRIB images and familiarization with the surrounding tissue landmarks are important steps in confidently and accurately detecting lesion site.