ABSTRACT
Background: Palpable abnormalities in the breast are a major cause of concern in females from their adolescence topostmenopausal state. Majority of the palpable lesions are benign but malignant lesions are always dreadful. Imaging provides a wide spectrum of noninvasive choices for evaluating these lesions ranging from x-ray mammography to magnetic resonance mammography. Ultrasonography of breast (sonomammography) is most suitable in majority of cases and is not only noninvasive but also radiation-free. Introduction: Due to wide availability, sonomammography is the most popular imaging tool for noninvasive evaluation of palpable breast lesions. Sonoelastography, a recent advancement in the field of ultrasound imaging has added a new dimension to sonomammography allowing differentiation of benign and malignant lesions based on their stiffness. Malignant lesions are usually harder than benign lesions. Methods: Fifty female patients with palpable breast lesions were evaluated with x-ray mammography and sonomammography with sonoelastography in tandem on the same day. The results obtained were compared with final histological diagnosis in terms of benign & malignant lesions followed by statistical evaluation and conclusions. Results &Conclusions:Observations when analysed revealed higher sensitivity, specificity, positive & negative predictive values and accuracy of sonomammography than x-ray mammography. The figures further improved when sonoelastography was added to sonomammography. Based on these results, we conclude that sonoelastography should be added in the sonomammography protocol of evaluating any breast lesion not only to prevent invasive procedure but also to provide image guidance when such invasive features are indicated.