Comparison of the SR max,SR ave,and color map of strain-elastography in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions

Abstract

Background

The maximum value of the strain ratio (SR) is a newly developed measure in strain-elastography.

Purpose

To prospectively compare the diagnostic performance of three different measures of strain-elastography, the maximum value of the SR (SR_max), the average value of the SR (SR_ave), and the color map, for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.

Material and Methods

We obtained the SR_max and SR_ave of 314 lesions from 290 patients with the tissue to nodule SR and color map using a five-degree scoring system. The diagnostic performances of the SR_max, SR_ave, and color map were compared after obtaining the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) of each parameter.

Results

The AUC of the SR_max (0.7674) was larger than the AUCs of the SR_ave (0.7138) and color map (0.6324), with statistical significance (P = 0.0383 for SR_max vs. SR_ave, P = 0.0000 for SR_max vs. color map). The AUC of the SR_ave was larger than that of the color map; however, there was no significant difference. The optimal cut-off point of the SR_max that balanced the sensitivity (91.12%) and specificity (50.81%) was 5.16.

Conclusion

The SR_max is a more reliable diagnostic tool than the SR_ave and color map for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.

Keywords

Breast ultrasound strain-elastography strain ratio solid mass

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