Assessment of Ultrasound / Radio-guided Occult Lesion Localization in Non-palpable Breast Lesions.

OBJECTIVES: Controversy exists about the localization of non-palpable breast lesions. In many countries, the gold standard for the diagnosis of these lesions is needle localization due to its accuracy. This study sought to compare the ultrasound- and radio-guided occult lesion localization (ROLL) as a simple method with the conventional procedures in terms of their diagnostic power. METHODS: This study was conducted on 94 patients with non-palpable breast lesions detected by ultrasonography and localized by the combination of ultrasonography and using radiopharmaceuticals. One to ten hours prior to surgery, 0.1-0.2 ml (equivalent to 0.5-1 mCi) of Tc-99m-phytate was injected to the lesion under the guidance of ultrasonography. Then, the lesion was localized using a hand-held gamma probe, and excision of the lesion was performed according to its radioactivity signal. Data analysis was performed using SPSS, version 16. RESULTS: Benign and malignant pathologic results were observed in 77 (81.9%) and 17(18.1%) of the patients, respectively, and the mean volume of the excised tissue was 26.29±27 mm³. 79 patients had a solitary lesion (84%), 55 in the left breast (58.5%) and 39 in superolateral quadrant (41.5%). The mean size of the lesions was 15.7 mm in diameter (ranging from 4 to 34 mm). Additionally, there was a need to secondary surgery in 3 (3.2%) patients and inappropriate localization in 6 (6.4%) patients (subcutaneous or intra-ductal spread of radiodrug). CONCLUSION: Combination of ultrasound- and radio-guided localization methods for localizing non-palpable breast lesions is a simple and acceptable method for localization with no significant complications. For radio-drug spread and subsequent excessive excised tissue volume, subcutaneous and intra-ductal lesions are not suitable indication for ROLL.

Breast Angiosarcoma with Exophytic Growth.

Primary angiosarcoma of the breast is a rare malignant tumor. Diagnostic breast imaging includes mammography and ultrasound, which are usually nonspecific. A 42-year-old woman with angiosarcoma of the breast is presented. Physical findings showed a hard exophytic mass in the upper part of the left breast, with skin discoloration overlaying the mass. Mammography revealed a high density well defined mass in the left breast, without any micro-calcification and speculation. On ultrasound examination, a hypoechoic mass with a well-defined margin and heterogenous echogenicity was detected. A core needle biopsy and excisional biopsy were performed, and histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of angiosarcoma. The patient underwent simple mastectomy. We present the mammographic and ultrasonographic features of a case of primary breast angiosarcoma with exophytic growth.