Clinical value of breast ultrasound for diagnosis of breast masses with nipple discharges
10.13491/j.issn.1004-714X.2025.01.019
- VernacularTitle:乳腺超声用于伴有乳头溢液的乳房占位性病变的临床诊断价值
- Author:
Li CHEN
1
;
Liping WANG
1
Author Information
1. Department of Ultrasound, Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Changzhou 213000 China.
- Publication Type:OriginalArticles
- Keywords:
Breast ultrasound;
Breast mammography;
Nipple discharge;
Breast mass;
Diagnostic value
- From:
Chinese Journal of Radiological Health
2025;34(1):114-118
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To examine the value of breast ultrasound for diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses among female patients with nipple discharges, and to provide a reference for the diagnosis of patients with nipple discharges. Methods A total of 317 female patients with nipple discharges underwent breast examinations in Changzhou Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital between April 2021 and May 2024 were enrolled, and all patients underwent ultrasound, mammography, and pathologic examinations of the breast. With pathologic examination as the gold standard, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of breast ultrasound and mammography for diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses were compared. The diagnostic value of breast ultrasound for benign and malignant breast masses was evaluated among female patients with nipple discharges. Results The study subjects had a mean age of (43.27 ± 10.71) years, and a mean nipple discharge duration of (1.11 ± 0.53) years. Moreover, 51.74% of nipple discharges were in the right-sided breast, 52.05% were spontaneous, 32.49% were bloody, and 53.63% were classified as Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 1 to 3. Of the 317 female patients with nipple discharges, histopathology detected 137 malignant breast masses and 180 benign masses, and the 53 masses with Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System category 5 were all malignant. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy were 64.23%, 77.22%, 68.22%, 73.94% and 71.61% for breast ultrasound, and 80.29%, 35.00%, 48.46%, 70.00% and 54.57% for breast mammography. The specificity (χ2=8.81, P < 0.01), positive predictive value (χ2=13.01, P < 0.01), and accuracy (χ2=19.75, P < 0.01) of breast ultrasound were significantly higher than breast mammography, while the sensitivity of breast ultrasound was significantly lower than breast mammography (χ2=65.15, P < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in the negative predictive value between breast ultrasound and mammography (χ2=0.47, P > 0.05). Conclusion Breast ultrasound has a high accuracy for diagnosis of benign and malignant breast masses among female patients with nipple discharges, which may serve as an auxiliary tool for diagnosis of breast masses among patients with nipple discharges.
