Comparison of various imaging methods with particular evaluation of Color Doppler sonography for planning surgery for breast tumors

Objective: Color Doppler sonography (CD) was compared with other diagnostic imaging methods [mammography (MG), breast ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] in the planning of surgery for breast tumors. Materials and methods: 99 patients with breast cancer and 101 with ultimately benign breast lesions were examined preoperatively. The specificity and sensitivity were calculated, as well as the predictive values. Various qualitative and semiquantitative CD parameters were also analysed for their diagnostic value. Results: The sensitivity/specificity of the various methods (in %) was: MG 85/77; US 95/80; CD 82/75, MRI 90/63. The positive predictive value (ppv)/negative predictive value (npv) (in %) was: MG 79/83; US 81/94; CD 72/84; MRI 79/63. The median maximum systolic flow velocity and the resistance index (RI) were significantly higher in breast cancer vessels than in benign lesions. The number of pulsating color pixels detected by CD was significantly higher for breast cancer. In cases of breast cancer significantly more blood flows were detected in the body of the tumor than at its periphery. Conclusion: Color Doppler sonography was not superior to other diagnostic methods for preoperative assessment of a breast lesion. The combination of all diagnostic procedures gave a correct classification rate of 93.3% and is much better than the correct classification of any single diagnostic imaging procedure.