Gooding Mark J, Finlay Joanna, Shipley Jacqueline A, Halliwell Michael, Duck Francis A
Department of Medical Physics and Bioengineering, Royal United Hospital, Bath, England.
J Ultrasound Med. 2010 Jan;29(1):95-103. doi: 10.7863/jum.2010.29.1.95.
The main function of the breast is to produce milk for offspring. As such, the ductal system, which carries milk from the milk-secreting glands (alveoli) to the nipple, is central to the natural function of the breast. The ductal system is also the region in which many malignancies originate and spread. In this study, we aimed to assess the feasibility of manual mapping of ductal systems from 3-dimensional (3D) ultrasound data and to evaluate the structures found with respect to conventional understanding of breast anatomy and physiology.
Three-dimensional ultrasound data of the breast were acquired using a mechanical system, which captures data in a conical shape covering most of the breast without excessive compression. Manual mapping of the ductal system was performed using custom software for data from 4 lactating volunteers.
Observational results are presented for ultrasound data from the 4 lactating volunteers. For all volunteers, only a small number of ductal structures were engorged with milk, suggesting that the lactiferous activity of the breast may be localized. These enlarged ducts were predominantly found in the inferior lateral quadrant of each breast. The observation was also made that the enlarged, milk-storing parts of the duct were spread throughout the ductal system and not directly below the nipple as conventional anatomy suggests.
Ultrasound visualization of the 3D structure of milk-laden ducts in an uncompressed breast has been shown. Using manual tracing, it was possible to track milk-laden ducts of diameters less than 1 mm.
乳房的主要功能是为后代分泌乳汁。因此，将乳汁从泌乳腺体（腺泡）输送至乳头的导管系统是乳房自然功能的核心。导管系统也是许多恶性肿瘤起源和扩散的部位。在本研究中，我们旨在评估从三维（3D）超声数据手动绘制导管系统的可行性，并根据对乳房解剖学和生理学的传统认识来评估所发现的结构。
使用机械系统采集乳房的三维超声数据，该系统以圆锥形采集数据，可覆盖大部分乳房且不会过度挤压。使用定制软件对4名哺乳期志愿者的数据进行导管系统的手动绘制。
展示了4名哺乳期志愿者超声数据的观察结果。对于所有志愿者，只有少数导管结构充满乳汁，这表明乳房的泌乳活动可能是局部性的。这些扩张的导管主要位于每个乳房的外下象限。还观察到，导管中储存乳汁的扩张部分遍布整个导管系统，而不像传统解剖学所表明的那样直接位于乳头下方。
已展示了在未受压乳房中对充满乳汁的导管三维结构进行超声可视化。通过手动追踪，可以追踪直径小于1毫米的充满乳汁的导管。
