Role of MRI in Diagnostic Evaluation of Papillary Lesions of the Breast

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis of papillary lesions of the breast. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 45 papillary lesions diagnosed at ultrasonography-guided core biopsy (USCB), 27 benign papillary lesions in 22 patients who underwent breast MRI were reviewed. The excsional biopsy was performed in 1-10 days after MRI was done. In MRI findings, lesions were considered suspicious if they show irregular, rim enhancement, or linear enhancement in morphologic evaluation, or washout enhancement pattern of delayed phase in dynamic enhancement characteristics. Diffusion-weighted images were analyzed according to visibility of lesions. MRI findings were correlated with pathologic results at excisional biopsy. RESULTS: At excisional biopsy, two lesions (9%) were diagnosed malignant in 22 benign papillary lesions without atypia by USCB and 4 (80%) were malignant in 5 benign papillary lesions with atypia by USCB. Among 18 lesions detected on MRI, 16 lesions showed suspicious findings on MRI, 11 lesions (69%) were diagnosed as benign and 5 (31%) were malignant. Among 12 lesions detected on diffusion weighted imaging, 10 lesions were diagnosed as benign and 2 were malignant. MRI findings were not significantly correlated with pathologic results at excisional biopsy. CONCLUSION: MRI findings were not useful to predict malignancy in benign papillary lesions diagnosed at USCB, because MRI findings of these were mostly suspicious (88.9%, 16/18). The benign papillary lesion should be included in the false positive lesion on breast MRI.