Evaluation of dynamic studies of MR mammography for the diagnosis of intraductal lesions with nipple discharge.

OBJECTIVES: We assessed the utility of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in differentiating benign from malignant lesions of the breast and then applied MRI to diagnose intraductal breast tumors with nipple discharge.

METHODS: Gadolinium (Gd)-enhanced MR mammography was performed on 74 patients with breast tumors and 8 patients with nipple discharge.

RESULTS: The steepest slopes of the contrast medium uptake (S slope) s from time-intensity curves were significantly different between malignant and benign lesions. At S slope threshold of 0.95% /second, malignancy was predicted with a sensitivity and specificity of 75% . Six of 8 cases with nipple discharge were successfully identified by MR ductography by injecting Gd-DTPA into discharging ducts. Among them, 2 non-invasive ductal carcinomas were differentiated from benign lesions by the S slope value.

CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic MR mammography is an useful modality for differentiating breast lesions and has potential for evaluating intraductal lesions with nipple discharge.