Karmanos Cancer Institute, 3990 John R Rd, Harper Professional Bldg, Ste 710, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2012 Jan;198(1):233-9. doi: 10.2214/AJR.11.6910.
The objective of our study was to determine the clinical display thresholds of an ultrasound tomography prototype relative to MRI for comparable visualization of breast anatomy and tumor rendering.
Thirty-six women were imaged with MRI and our ultrasound tomography prototype. The ultrasound tomography scan generated reflection, sound-speed, and attenuation images. The reflection images were fused with the components of the sound-speed and attenuation images that achieved thresholds to represent parenchyma or solid masses using an image arithmetic process. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons of MRI and ultrasound tomography clinical images were used to identify anatomic similarities and optimized thresholds for tumor shapes and volumes.
Thresholding techniques generated ultrasound tomography images comparable to MR images for visualizing fibrous stroma, parenchyma, fatty tissues, and tumors. In 25 patients, tumors were cancerous and in 11, benign. Optimized sound-speed thresholds of 1.46±0.1 and 1.52±0.03 km/s were identified to best represent the extent of fibroglandular tissue and solid masses, respectively. An arithmetic combination of attenuation images using a threshold of 0.16±0.04 dB/cm (mean±SD) further characterized benign from malignant masses. No significant difference in tumor volume was noted between benign or malignant masses by ultrasound tomography or MRI (p>0.1) using these universal thresholds.
Ultrasound tomography is able to image and render breast tissues in a manner comparable to MRI. Using universal ultrasound tomography threshold values for rendering the size and distribution of benign and malignant tissues appears feasible without IV contrast material.
我们研究的目的是确定超声层析成像原型相对于 MRI 的临床显示阈值，以便对乳房解剖结构和肿瘤进行可比的可视化。
36 名女性接受了 MRI 和我们的超声层析成像原型检查。超声层析成像扫描生成反射、声速和衰减图像。反射图像与达到阈值的声速和衰减图像的分量融合，使用图像算术处理来表示实质或实性肿块。使用 MRI 和超声层析成像临床图像的定性和定量比较来识别解剖相似性和优化肿瘤形状和体积的阈值。
阈值技术生成的超声层析成像图像可与 MR 图像媲美，用于可视化纤维基质、实质、脂肪组织和肿瘤。在 25 名患者中，肿瘤为癌症，11 名为良性。分别确定了优化的声速阈值为 1.46±0.1 和 1.52±0.03 km/s，以最佳代表纤维腺体组织和实性肿块的范围。使用 0.16±0.04 dB/cm（平均值±标准差）的衰减图像算术组合进一步将良性和恶性肿块区分开来。使用这些通用阈值，超声层析成像和 MRI 均未观察到良性或恶性肿块的肿瘤体积有显著差异（p>0.1）。
超声层析成像能够以与 MRI 相当的方式对乳房组织进行成像和渲染。使用通用的超声层析成像阈值值来渲染良性和恶性组织的大小和分布似乎是可行的，而无需使用 IV 对比材料。
