Economic evaluation of breast MRI in screening - a systematic review and basic approach to cost-effectiveness analyses.

Background: Economic evaluations have become an accepted methodology for decision makers to allocate resources in healthcare systems. Particularly in screening, where short-term costs are associated with long-term benefits, and adverse effects of screening intermingle, cost-effectiveness analyses provide a means to estimate the economic value of screening. Purpose: To introduce the methodology of economic evaluations and to review the existing evidence on cost-effectiveness of MR-based breast cancer screening. Materials and methods: The various concepts and techniques of economic evaluations critical to the interpretation of cost-effectiveness analyses are briefly introduced. In a systematic review of the literature, economic evaluations from the years 2000-2022 are reviewed. Results: Despite a considerable heterogeneity in the reported input variables, outcome categories and methodological approaches, cost-effectiveness analyses report favorably on the economic value of breast MRI screening for different risk groups, including both short- and long-term costs and outcomes. Conclusion: Economic evaluations indicate a strongly favorable economic value of breast MRI screening for women at high risk and for women with dense breast tissue.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of MRI, CE-CT and 18F-FDG PET/CT for detecting colorectal liver metastases eligible for hepatic resection.

Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a serious challenge for the health system. In 2022 CRC represented 8% of cancer diagnoses in the United States. 30% of patients already show metastases at the initial tumor staging. The majority of these metastases are sited in the liver. According to their extension and the status of the tumor colorectal liver metastases can be treated in several ways, with hepatic resection being the gold-standard. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT), positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used for evaluation of resectability of these liver metastases. The aim of this study is to assess the most economic imaging modality for detecting liver metastases eligible for hepatic resection by analyzing their cost-effectiveness. Materials and methods: In our study, a Markov state transition model was built to calculate the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and overall costs for each diagnostic strategy in accord with the stated input values obtained from scientific research. Further, probabilistic sensitivity analyses by means of Monte Carlo simulations were performed to consider possible model uncertainties. For evaluation of the cost-effectiveness on an economic threshold, the Willingness-to-pay (WTP) was set at $ 100,000. The applied values and the calculated results are based on the U.S. healthcare system. Results: CE-CT led to overall costs of $ 42,874.02 and 8.47 QALYs, whereas MRI led to $ 40,863.65 and 8.50 QALYs. PET/CT resulted in overall costs of $ 43,216.74 and 8.48 QALYs. Therefore, MRI was determined to be the dominant strategy in the model. According to the performed sensitivity analyses, MRI remained cost-effective over a wide range of WTPs. Conclusion: In conclusion, according to our analysis, MRI is the dominant strategy for detecting hepatic metastases eligible for hepatic resection in colorectal cancer.

Economic evaluation of 18F-FDG PET/CT, MRI and CE-CT in selection of colorectal liver metastases eligible for ablation - A cost-effectiveness analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Colorectal cancers (CRC) are among the world's most prevailing cancer entities. In a third of all cases, the patients have already developed distant metastases - mainly in the liver - at the time of detection. Colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) can be treated by surgical resection or, as is possible in most cases, by percutaneous ablation. For selecting the liver metastases eligible for radiofrequency ablation (RFA) or microwave ablation (MWA), the common imaging modalities are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CE-CT). This study aims to evaluate those imaging modalities for selecting liver lesions eligible for ablation according to their long-term cost-effectiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A Markov model was applied, calculating quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and accumulative costs for every diagnostic strategy, according to predefined input parameters obtained from published research. Further, sensitivity analyses were executed to prove the certainty of the calculations by running Monte-Carlo simulations with 30,000 reiterations. The Willingness-to-pay (WTP) is at $ 100,000. All calculations are based on the U.S. healthcare system. RESULTS: CE-CT caused cumulative costs of $ 31,940.98 and 8,99 QALYs, whereas MRI caused $ 32,070.83 and 9,01 QALYs. PET/CT caused cumulative costs of $ 33,013.21 and 8,99 QALYs. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, according to our analysis, MRI is the most cost-effective strategy for detecting liver metastases eligible for ablation and therefore should be seen as the gold standard.

Economic potential of abbreviated breast MRI for screening women with dense breast tissue for breast cancer.

OBJECTIVES: Abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MRI) was introduced to reduce both examination and image reading times and to improve cost-effectiveness of breast cancer screening. The aim of this model-based economic study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of full protocol breast MRI (FB-MRI) vs. AB-MRI in screening women with dense breast tissue for breast cancer. METHODS: Decision analysis and a Markov model were designed to model the cumulative costs and effects of biennial screening in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) from a US healthcare system perspective. Model input parameters for a cohort of women with dense breast tissue were adopted from recent literature. The impact of varying AB-MRI costs per examination as well as specificity on the resulting cost-effectiveness was modeled within deterministic sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: At an assumed cost per examination of $ 263 for AB-MRI (84% of the cost of a FB-MRI examination), the discounted cumulative costs of both MR-based strategies accounted comparably. Reducing the costs of AB-MRI below $ 259 (82% of the cost of a FB-MRI examination, respectively), the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of FB-MRI exceeded the willingness to pay threshold and the AB-MRI-strategy should be considered preferable in terms of cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Our preliminary findings indicate that AB-MRI may be considered cost-effective compared to FB-MRI for screening women with dense breast tissue for breast cancer, as long as the costs per examination do not exceed 82% of the cost of a FB-MRI examination. KEY POINTS: • Cost-effectiveness of abbreviated breast MRI is affected by reductions in specificity and resulting false positive findings and increased recall rates. • Abbreviated breast MRI may be cost-effective up to a cost per examination of 82% of the cost of a full protocol examination. • Abbreviated breast MRI could be an economically preferable alternative to full protocol breast MRI in screening women with dense breast tissue.

Cost-effectiveness analysis in radiology: methods, results and implications. / Kosteneffektivitätsanalysen in der Radiologie: Methoden, Ergebnisse, Implikationen.

BACKGROUND: Diagnostic radiological examinations as well as interventional radiological therapies are performed at a steadily increasing rate amidst increasingly limited resources in healthcare systems. Given their potential to contribute decisively to optimized therapy, in most cases associated short-term direct costs can be well justified from a clinical perspective. However, to realize their clinical benefits, they must also succeed in justifying them to payers and policymakers. Therefore, the aim of this work is to present suitable methods for economic analysis of radiological precedures and to elaborate their relevance for radiology. METHODOLOGY: Methods and metrics of cost-effectiveness analysis are presented and then exemplified using the example cases of MR mammography and interventional treatment of oligometastatic tumor disease of the liver. RESULTS: Cost-effectiveness considerations, taking into account long-term gains in lifespan and quality of life, as well as potential savings through improved treatment planning, do often objectively and credibly justify short-term additional costs. CONCLUSIONS: Cost-effectiveness analyses performed with radiological and health economic expertise can support the establishment of new radiological technologies in diagnostics and therapy. KEY POINTS: · When radiological procedures are employed, short-term costs are often offset by significant long-term benefits.. · Radiological examinations and therapies must be justified in the context of limited economic resources.. · Economic methodologies can be used to quantify the quality and cost-effectiveness of radiological methods.. · Such analyses as well as targeted training should be encouraged to provide greater transparency.. CITATION FORMAT: · Froelich MF, Kunz WG, Tollens F et al. Cost-effectiveness analysis in radiology: methods, results and implications. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2022; 194: 29 - 38.

Cost-Effectiveness of MR-Mammography in Breast Cancer Screening of Women With Extremely Dense Breasts After Two Rounds of Screening.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of MR-mammography (MRM) vs. x-ray based mammography (XM) in two-yearly screening women of intermediate risk for breast cancer in the light of recent literature. METHODS: Decision analysis and Markov modelling were used to compare cumulative costs (in US-$) and outcomes (in QALYs) of MRM vs. XM over the model runtime of 20 years. The perspective of the U.S. healthcare system was selected. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated and related to a willingness to pay-threshold of $ 100,000 per QALY in order to evaluate the cost-effectiveness. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the impact of variations of the input parameters. In particular, variations of the rate of false positive findings beyond the first screening round and their impact on cost-effectiveness were assessed. RESULTS: Breast cancer screening with MRM resulted in increased costs and superior effectiveness. Cumulative average costs of $ 6,081 per woman and cumulative effects of 15.12 QALYs were determined for MRM, whereas screening with XM resulted in costs of $ 5,810 and 15.10 QALYs, resulting in an ICER of $ 13,493 per QALY gained. When the specificity of MRM in the second and subsequent screening rounds was varied from 92% to 99%, the ICER resulted in a range from $ 38,849 to $ 5,062 per QALY. CONCLUSIONS: Based on most recent data on the diagnostic performance beyond the first screening round, MRM may remain the economically preferable alternative in screening women of intermediate risk for breast cancer due to their dense breast tissue.

T2-weighted Imaging of the Breast at 1.5T Using Simultaneous Multi-slice Acceleration.

AIM: To evaluate the image quality and time saving using simultaneous multi-slice (SMS)-accelerated T2-weighted turbo spin echo (TSE) sequences compared to standard T2 TSE sequences in breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients were examined with an SMS-accelerated T2 TSE sequence and a standard T2 TSE sequence as part of a breast MRI protocol at 1.5T. Image quality, signal homogeneity and tissue delineation were evaluated. For quantitative assessment, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was measured from representative SNR maps. RESULTS: There were no significant differences regarding tissue delineation and signal homogeneity. Image quality was rated equal at the chest wall and the breasts but decreased in the axilla on SMS-T2 TSE (p=0.01) with a simultaneous decrease of SNR (p=0.03). This did not significantly impact the overall image quality (p=0.2). The acquisition time for SMS-T2 TSE was 48% shorter compared to standard T2 TSE. CONCLUSION: SMS-acceleration for T2-weighted imaging of the breast at 1.5T substantially reduces acquisition time while maintaining comparable quantitative and qualitative image quality. This may pave the way for protocol abbreviation especially in a high-throughput clinical workspace.

Cost-Effectiveness of Digital Breast Tomosynthesis vs. Abbreviated Breast MRI for Screening Women with Intermediate Risk of Breast Cancer-How Low-Cost Must MRI Be?

BACKGROUND: Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MRI) offer superior diagnostic performance compared to conventional mammography in screening women with intermediate risk of breast cancer due to dense breast tissue. The aim of this model-based economic evaluation was to analyze whether AB-MRI is cost-effective in this cohort compared to DBT. METHODS: Decision analysis and Markov simulations were used to model the cumulative costs and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) over a time horizon of 30 years. Model input parameters were adopted from recent literature. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were applied to test the stability of the model. RESULTS: In the base-case scenario, the costs of an AB-MRI examination were defined to equal the costs of a full protocol acquisition. Two-yearly screening of women with dense breasts resulted in cumulative discounted costs of $8798 and $9505 for DBT and AB-MRI, and cumulative discounted effects of 19.23 and 19.27 QALYs, respectively, with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $20,807 per QALY gained in the base-case scenario. By reducing the cost of an AB-MRI examination below a threshold of $241 in sensitivity analyses, AB-MRI would become cost-saving compared to DBT. CONCLUSION: In comparison to DBT, AB-MRI can be considered cost-effective up to a price per examination of $593 in screening patients at intermediate risk of breast cancer.

Impact of specificity on cost-effectiveness of screening women at high risk of breast cancer with magnetic resonance imaging, mammography and ultrasound.

PURPOSE: Aim of this study was to analyze the comparative cost-effectiveness of MR-mammography vs conventional imaging in a screening setting for women with high risk of breast cancer, with particular focus on the impact of specificity of MRM. METHOD: Decision analytic modelling and Markov Modelling were applied to evaluate cumulative costs of each screening modality and their subsequent treatments as well as cumulative outcomes in quality adjusted life years (QALYs). For the selected time horizon of 30 years, false positive and false negative results were included. Model input parameters for women with high risk of breast cancer were estimated based on published data from a US healthcare system perspective. Major influence factors were identified and evaluated in a deterministic sensitivity analysis. Based on current recommendations for economic evaluations, a probabilistic sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the model stability. RESULTS: In a base-case analysis, screening with XM vs. MRM and treatment resulted in overall costs of $36,201.57 vs. $39,050.97 and a cumulative effectiveness of 19.53 QALYs vs. 19.59 QALYs. This led to an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of $ 45,373.94 per QALY for MRM. US and XM + US resulted in ICER values higher than the willingness to pay (WTP). In the sensitivity analyses, MRM remained a cost-effective strategy for screening high-risk patients as long as the specificity of MRM did not drop below 86.7 %. CONCLUSION: In high-risk breast cancer patients, MRM can be regarded as a cost-effective alternative to XM in a yearly screening setting. Specificity may be an important cost driver in settings with yearly screening intervals.

Cost-effectiveness of MR-mammography as a solitary imaging technique in women with dense breasts: an economic evaluation of the prospective TK-Study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the economic implications of our previous study on the use of MR-mammography (MRM) as a solitary imaging tool in women at intermediate risk due to dense breasts. BACKGROUND: In our previous study, we found MRM to be a specific diagnostic tool with high accuracy in patients with dense breasts representing a patient collective at intermediate risk of breast cancer. For this study, we examined whether MRM is an economical alternative. METHODS: For the determination of outcomes and costs, a decision model based on potential diagnostic results of MRM was developed. Quality of life was estimated in a Markov chain model distinguishing between the absence of malignancy, the presence of malignancy, and death. Input parameters were utilized from the prospective TK-Study. To investigate the economic impact of MRM, overall costs in € and outcomes of MRM in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were estimated. A deterministic sensitivity analysis was performed. RESULTS: MRM was associated with expected costs of 1650.48 € in the 5-year period and an expected cumulative outcome of 4.69 QALYs. A true positive diagnosis resulted in significantly lower costs and a higher quality of life when compared to the consequences of a false negative result. In the deterministic sensitivity analysis, treatment costs had more impact on overall costs than the costs of MRM. The total costs per patient remained below 2500 € in the 5-year period. CONCLUSION: MRM, as a solitary imaging tool in patients at intermediate risk due to dense breasts, is economically feasible. KEY POINTS: • In patients with dense breasts (i.e., patients at intermediate risk of breast cancer), the relative cost of MR-mammography examinations only had moderate impact on overall costs. • This is due to cost-savings through the application of a sensitive imaging technique resulting in an optimized staging and therapy planning. • MR-mammography, unaccompanied by mammography or ultrasound in patients with dense breasts, was economically feasible in our analysis.

Cost-effectiveness of MR-mammography vs. conventional mammography in screening patients at intermediate risk of breast cancer - A model-based economic evaluation.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to analyze the cost-effectiveness of screening patients of intermediate risk of breast cancer with MR-Mammography (MRM) versus conventional mammography (XM). METHOD: A decision model for both diagnostic modalities and a subsequent markov model for the simulation of follow-up costs and outcomes was developed. Input parameters were acquired from published literature for this markov modelling study. The expected cumulative costs and outcomes were calculated for both modalities in a 30-year timeframe in US-dollar ($) and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). A deterministic sensitivity analysis and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis incorporating 30,000 Monte Carlo iterations were performed to investigate the model stability. RESULTS: In total, XM with its consecutive treatments resulted in total costs of $ 5,492.68 and an average cumulative quality of life of 18.87 QALYs, compared to MRM with costs of $ 5,878.66 and 18.92 QALYs. The corresponding incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) for MRM was $ 8,797.60 per QALY - distinctly below international willingness-to-pay thresholds for cost-effectiveness. The results were confirmed within the limits of the sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with intermediate risk for breast cancer due to their dense breast tissue, two-yearly screening with MRM may be considered as cost-effective.

Motion artifacts, lesion type, and parenchymal enhancement in breast MRI: what does really influence diagnostic accuracy?

BACKGROUND: Motion artifacts can reduce image quality of breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). There is a lack of data regarding their effect on diagnostic estimates. PURPOSE: To evaluate factors that potentially influence readers' diagnostic estimates in breast MRI: motion artifacts; amount of fibroglandular tissue; background parenchymal enhancement; lesion size; and lesion type. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This Institutional Review Board-approved, retrospective, cross-sectional, single-center study included 320 patients (mean age = 55.1 years) with 334 histologically verified breast lesions (139 benign, 195 malignant) who underwent breast MRI. Two expert breast radiologists evaluated the images considering: motion artifacts (1 = minimal to 4 = marked); fibroglandular tissue (BI-RADS FGT); background parenchymal enhancement (BI-RADS BPE); lesion size; lesion type; and BI-RADS score. Univariate (Chi-square) and multivariate (Generalized Estimation Equations [GEE]) statistics were used to identify factors influencing sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy. RESULTS: Lesions were: 230 mass (68.9%) and 59 non-mass (17.7%), no foci. Forty-five lesions (13.5%) did not enhance in MRI but were suspicious or unclear in conventional imaging. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy were 93.8%, 83.4%, and 89.8% for Reader 1 and 95.4%, 87.8%, and 91.9% for Reader 2. Lower sensitivity was observed in case of increased motion artifacts ( P = 0.007), non-mass lesions ( P < 0.001), and small lesions ≤ 10 mm ( P < 0.021). No further factors (e.g. BPE, FGT) significantly influenced diagnostic estimates. At multivariate analysis, lesion type and size were retained as independent factors influencing the diagnostic performance ( P < 0.033). CONCLUSION: Motion artifacts can impair lesion characterization with breast MRI, but lesion type and small size have the strongest influence on diagnostic estimates.

The Assessment of Background Parenchymal Enhancement (BPE) in a High-Risk Population: What Causes BPE?

OBJECTIVE: To investigate promoting factors for background parenchymal enhancement (BPE) in MR mammography (MRM). METHODS: 146 patients were retrospectively evaluated, including 91 high-risk patients (50 BRCA patients, 41 patients with elevated lifetime risk). 56 screening patients were matched to the high-risk cases on the basis of age. The correlation of BPE with factors such as fibroglandular tissue (FGT), age, menopausal status, breast cancer, high-risk precondition as well as motion were investigated using linear regression. RESULTS: BPE positively correlated with FGT (P<.001) and negatively correlated with menopausal status (P<.001). Cancer did not show an effect on BPE (P>.05). A high-risk precondition showed a significant impact on the formation of BPE (P<.05). However, when corrected for motion, the correlation between BPE and a high-risk precondition became weak and insignificant, and a highly significant association between BPE and motion was revealed (P<.01). CONCLUSION: BPE positively correlated with FGT and negatively correlated with age. Cancer did not have an effect on BPE. A high-risk precondition appears to have a negative effect on BPE. However, when corrected for motion, high-risk preconditions became insignificant. Technical as well as physiological influences seem to play an important role in the formation of BPE.

Value of Additional Digital Breast Tomosynthesis for Preoperative Staging of Breast Cancer in Dense Breasts.

AIM: This retrospective study was initiated to determine the diagnostic value of additional preoperative breast tomosynthesis (DBT) for breast cancer staging in dense breasts. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-six patients (69 breasts) with findings of American College of Radiology category 3 or 4 with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System 5, 6 or 0 were included. All patients underwent digital mammography and additional DBT. RESULTS: A total of 40/69 (58%) cancers were detected on both mammography and DBT, 23 (33.3%) were only seen on DBT (p=0.0001); 6/69 (8.7%) carcinomas were not detected by either method, of which three were invasive lobular carcinomas. Sensitivity for multifocal/multicentric disease was significantly higher on DBT (12/19, 63.2%) compared to mammography (4/19, 21.1%) (p=0.02), specificity was comparable (96.0% vs. 90.0%). Multifocal/multicentric disease was not detected on mammography nor DBT in 7/19 (36.8%) patients, including three invasive lobular carcinomas. CONCLUSION: DBT may significantly improve preoperative breast cancer staging in patients with dense breasts compared to conventional mammography alone. Nevertheless, limitations have to be expected in the case of invasive lobular carcinoma.

Prognostic Value of "Prepectoral Edema" in MR-mammography.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Previous studies have indicated a highly significant correlation between invasive tumors and accompanying prepectoral edema (PE) in MR-mammography (MRM). The aim of the present study was to identify prognostic factors associated with PE as a diagnostic sign. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 1,109 consecutive MRM exams were included in this study. Exclusion criteria were previous operation, biopsy, intervention, chemotherapy, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or previous mastitis. One hundred and sixty-two patients with 180 lesions were evaluated and histologically correlated. Diagnostic evaluations were performed by four experienced radiologists in consensus. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty lesions included 104 malignant lesions (93 invasive and 11 non-invasive) and 76 benign lesions. PE was detected significantly more frequently in presence of lymphangiosis carcinomatosa ((53.8%; 14/26) vs. (9.8%; 4/41)) (p<0,000). PE significantly correlates with positive axillary nodal status ((19.4% (12/62) vs. 44.4% (12/27)) (p=0.020), as well as pathologic enhancement of the pectoral muscle (5.4% (5/93) vs. 22.7% (20/88)) (p=0,015). PE significantly correlates with higher tumor grading (G3) (33.9% vs. 13.9%) (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in a positive vs. negative estrogen (p=0.681) and progesterone (p=0.751) and/or human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER-2) (p=0.726) receptor status accompanied by PE. CONCLUSION: The presence of PE may be a strong prognostic indicator for lymphatic spread and the cancerous infiltration of lymph nodes. It is also associated with the infiltration of the pectoral muscle, as well as high tumor grading. There is no correlation between prepectoral edema and positive tumor receptor status.

Differentiation of ductal carcinoma in situ versus fibrocystic changes by magnetic resonance imaging: are there pathognomonic imaging features?

Background In breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) remains controversial; the most challenging cause of false-positive DCIS diagnosis is fibrocystic changes (FC). Purpose To search for typical and pathognomonic patterns of DCIS and FC using a standard clinical MRI protocol. Material and Methods Consecutive patients scheduled for breast MRI (standardized protocols @ 1.5T: dynamic-T1-GRE before/after Gd-DTPA [0.1 mmol/kg body weight (BW)]; T1-TSE), with subsequent pathological sampling, were investigated. Sixteen MRI descriptors were prospectively assessed by two experienced radiologists in consensus (blinded to pathology) and explored in patients with DCIS (n = 77) or FC (n = 219). Univariate and multivariate statistics were performed to identify the accuracy of descriptors (alone, combined). Furthermore, pathognomonic descriptor-combinations with an accuracy of 100% were explored (χ2 statistics; decision trees). Results Six breast MRI descriptors significantly differentiated DCIS from FC ( Pcorrected < 0.05; odds ratio < 7.9). Pathognomonic imaging features were present in 33.8% (n = 100) of all cases allowing the identification of 42.9% of FC (n = 94). Conclusion Pathognomonic patterns of DCIS and FC were frequently observed in a standard clinical MRI protocol. Such imaging patterns could decrease the false-positive rate of breast MRI and hence might help to decrease the number of unnecessary biopsies in this clinically challenging subgroup.

The value of "constant sharpness" as a diagnostic sign in MR-Mammography.

PURPOSE: To examine "constant lesion sharpness" as a morphological diagnostic sign in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant lesions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This prospective study had institutional review board approval and was HIPAA compliant. In total 1014 consecutive patients were examined (mean age 55 years ± 13 years) and evaluated in our University hospital towards the morphological shape of the lesion borders. The "Constant sharpness Sign" was defined as a lesion remaining continuously sharp for the duration of the dynamic scan. Inclusion criteria were unclear findings (e.g. BIRADS III/IV), Preoperative staging (BRIDAS IV/V), and referred patients from local clinic of gynecology. Exclusion criteria were MRM-examination ≤1 year before, status after surgery and/or biopsy, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Reference Standard was histological verification. Images were diagnosed by two experienced radiologists in consensus, blinded to the standard of reference. RESULTS: 1014 patients with 1084 lesions (436 benign, 648 malignant lesions) were included into the study. 41.5% of benign lesions and 6.8% (181/436) of malignant lesions displayed a constant sharpness as an accompanying morphological sign (P < 0.001). This resulted in a sensitivity of 41.5%, specificity of 93.2%, a positive likelihood ratio of 6.1%, a negative likelihood ratio of 0.63 and an odd's ratio of 9,7%. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION: The constant sharpness sign seems to be an accurate predictor of benign breast lesions, which may help to increase the accuracy of MRM as a morphological sign.

Focal transitional mastitis in MR-Mammography: Preliminary findings.

PURPOSE: During clinical routine, we retrospectively discovered diagnostic criteria for "focal mastitis" in MR-Mammography (MRM). The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate these criteria. METHODS: 1975 consecutive patients were examined between 01/2010 and 12/2011. 29 patients fit the diagnostic criteria of focal mastitis. RESULTS: In follow-up scans, 28 patients showed a complete remission of the previous findings. One patient was followed-up with persisting findings, which could histologically be correlated to an area of DCIS after biopsy. CONCLUSION: The morphologic, kinetic and follow-up criteria we discovered seem to be a reliable diagnostic indicator for focal mastitis.

Perirenal Edema as a potential hint towards primary hypertension-Preliminary findings in MRI breast cancer staging.

PURPOSE: To demonstrate our primary findings, indicating perirenal edema as a first imaging sign towards primary hypertension. METHODS: Out of 3190 consecutive MR-Mammography (MRM) examinations, 777 were performed with an additional body array coil. Incidentally, "perirenal edema" could be linked to a patient history of hypertension. We Therefore specifically further observed the correlation. RESULTS: Of 777 patients 86 (11%) patients showed the perirenal edema sign (PES). Upon inquiry all of these cases (100%) confirmed a past or present history of hypertensive disease (i.e. blood pressure above 140/90 and/or anti-hypertensive treatment). CONCLUSION: Our preliminary results strongly indicate a strong correlation between perirenal edema and primary hypertension.