Purpose:

Convantional mammography (MM) and ultrasonography (US) are the first and easily performed diagnostic techniques in characterization of breast lesions. Convantional enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used as a problem solving tool to identify and characterize breast lesions in selected cases. In this study, we aimed to determine diagnostic values of these techniques when they used either on by their own or together.

Patients and Methods:

We included 50 female patients who applied to Celal Bayar University Radiology- Mammography Department between November 2009- April 2010 with different indications. In this study, we evaluated 52 different breast lesions.

Results:

Prevalance of malign breast lesions were calculated and all the breast lesions were classified according to “Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System” (BI-RADS) characteristics. For every diagnostic technique, sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive and positive predictive values were found. Additionally, every diagnostic techniques were compared between each other, sensitivities and specificities were calculated.

Conclusion:

After all results dynamic enhanced MRI, was evaluated as superior than the other techniques. However, the difficulties such as cost, attainability, contrast material usage and evaluation, breast MRI should be used as a problem solving technique together with MM and US techniques.

Keywords: breast lesions, mammography, ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging