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Prospective Evaluation of the Value of Negative Sonographic and Mammographic Findings in Patients With Palpable Abnormalities of the Breast

Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine and The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, Houston, Texas.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Mahesh K. Shetty, MD, FRCR, Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine and Woman’s Hospital of Texas, 7600 Fannin St, Houston, TX 77054.

Objective. To evaluate the value of combined negative sonographic and mammographic findings in patients with palpable breast abnormalities. Methods. One hundred seventy-two patients with 186 palpable abnormalities who had combined negative sonographic and mammographic findings were prospectively studied. Patients who did not undergo biopsy had imaging and clinical follow-up; the mean follow-up period was 28.9 months (range, 24–33 months). Results. Twelve patients underwent biopsy; benign histologic diagnoses were reported in all 12 (12 [6.9%] of 172). In the remaining 160 patients who were followed, there was no interval development of breast cancer at the site of the palpable abnormality. The negative predictive value of combined negative mammographic and sonographic findings in a patient with a palpable abnormality of the breast was 100%. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that in a patient with a palpable abnormality of the breast, the negative predictive value of combined normal sonographic and mammographic findings is very high and is therefore reassuring to the patient.

Key Words: breast biopsy • breast imaging • breast sonography • palpable breast lumps

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				M. K. Shetty, Y. P. Shah, and R. S. Sharman Prospective Evaluation of the Value of Combined Mammographic and Sonographic Assessment in Patients With Palpable Abnormalities of the Breast J. Ultrasound Med., March 1, 2003; 22(3): 263 - 268. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]