Ultrasound-Guided Needle Biopsy of Suspected Microcalcifications in the Breast.

Background: Sonography plays an important role in characterizing breast masses and in guiding needle core biopsies and wire localizations of suspicious sonographis abnormalities.

Objective: The aim of this study was to show the possibilities of high frequency ultrasound devices in the presentation of microcalcifications of the breast, and the use of these possibilities in performing needle biopsy under ultrasound control.

Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted from May 2017 to December 2020 on 32 women, 29-86 years of age using mammograms and ultrasound to show suspected microcalcifications (radiological findings of BI RADS 4B and 4C), and needle biopsy led by ultrasound that confirmed the diagnosis of breast cancer. Patients with suspected microcalcifications on mammography that had previously had the diagnosis of breast cancer confirmed in the same or contralateral breast were excluded from the study. Histology results from each core biopsy and surgical excision were reviewed. The positive predictive values of sonography and mammography for this population were calculated, and the sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of sonography were determined. For analysis of the agreement of ultrasound findings with mammography the McNemar x²-test for dependent samples was used.

Results: The sensitivity of mammography in the detection of microcalcifications in this study was 100%. The sensitivity of the ultrasound apparatus with a high frequency probe in the detection of microcalcifications after mammography examination in this study was 87.55%, while the specificity was 42.85%.

Conclusion: Ultrasonic devices with high-frequency probes enable the display of accumulations of microcalcifications previously verified by mammography, and thus enable the performance of needle biopsy of suspected microcalcifications under ultrasonic control. An alternative is the much more complicated and significantly more expensive stereotactic biopsy under the control of mammography.