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MRI of the Breast

Basics: About MRI of the Breast:

Breast MRI now provides physicians a powerful new tool in the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Although plain film mammography has been the mainstay in the detection of breast cancer, up to 15% of palpable breast cancers are not seen on mammograms. Breast MRI, by detecting the abnormal blood flow associated with cancer, can and does detect breast cancer before it is seen on mammograms.

Siker Medical Imaging is the first center in Portland to offer ultra high field (3T) MRI as both a screening tool as well as an adjunctive tool to mammography and ultrasound in the detection of breast cancer. With the advent of state-of-the-art dynamic breast MRI, the ability to diagnose minimally invasive breast cancer has been catapulted to a new level. With an inherent false negative rate better than that of film-screen mammography, and a specificity of 90-95%, clinical breast MRI is now being used more frequently as an adjunctive imaging modality to conventional mammography and ultrasound. In addition to its more traditional applications (e.g., implant evaluation, fibrosis versus tumor recurrence), MRI now has been proved effective in:

1. Morphologically differentiating between normal tissue and malignancy in the extremelydense fibrocystic breast;
2. Accurately identifying and quantifying multifocal disease in suspected or pathologically- proved neoplasm;
3. Characterizing nodal status.

Additionally, MRI of the Breast may yield valuable information for the following patients:

1. when a routine mammogram calls for addtional screening
2. when a lump is discovered upon physical exam
3. in patients with dense breasts on mammography and a family history of breast cancer
4. in patients scheduled for a needle or surgical biopsy
5. in patients with a history of prior breast cancer
6. in patients who have had multiple prior biopsies
7. in patients with breast implants

Discussion of images above:

The above MRI images of the breast demonstrate 3D reconstruction of a dynamic Breast MRI. An arrow points to an 8 mm sized irregularly enhancing lesion in the right breast, upper outer quadrant, which corresponds to a suspicious lesion noticed on mammography. It’s hypervascularity, and early wash in and wash out characteristics over time were highly suggestive of malignancy. Ductal Carcinoma was confirmed on biopsy.

Women's Imaging
Dr. Amy Thurmond Woman's Imaging and Interventional Radiology

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