Automated Breast Ultrasound Provides Comparable Diagnostic Performance in Opportunistic Screening and Diagnostic Assessment

Rahmat K 1 , Ab Mumin N 2 , Ng WL 1 , Mohd Taib NA 3 , Chan WY 4 , Ramli Hamid MT 5

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Biomedical Imaging, Universiti Malaya Research Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Biomedical Imaging, Universiti Malaya Research Imaging Centre, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia. Electronic address: [email protected]
  • 3 Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya Cancer Research Institute, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Imaging Department, Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Selangor, Malaysia
Ultrasound Med Biol, 2024 Jan;50(1):112-118.
PMID: 37839984 DOI: 10.1016/j.ultrasmedbio.2023.09.011

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the work described here was to assess the performance of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS) as an adjunct to digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) in the screening and diagnostic setting.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study of women who underwent DBT and ABUS from December 2019 to March 2022 included opportunistic and targeted screening cases, as well as symptomatic women. Breast density, Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System categories and histopathology reports were collected and compared. The PPV3 (proportion of examinations with abnormal findings that resulted in a tissue diagnosis of cancer), biopsy rate (percentage of biopsies performed) and cancer detection yield (number of malignancies found by the diagnostic test given to the study sample) were calculated.

RESULTS: A total of 1089 ABUS examinations were performed (age range: 29-85 y, mean: 51.9 y). Among these were 909 screening (83.5%) and 180 diagnostic (16.5%) examinations. A total of 579 biopsies were performed on 407 patients, with a biopsy rate of 53.2%. There were 100 (9.2%) malignant lesions, 30 (5.2%) atypical/B3 lesions and 414 (71.5%) benign cases. In 9 cases (0.08%), ABUS alone detected malignancies, and in 19 cases (1.7%), DBT alone detected malignancies. The PPV3 in the screening group was 14.6%.

CONCLUSION: ABUS is useful as an adjunct to DBT in the opportunistic screening and diagnostic setting.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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