Technique 'Elastic ultrasound': Differentiates benign tumors from breast cancer

At the North American Radiology Association conference, Dr. Richard Garr, an imaging diagnostic specialist in Ohio, reported the survey results using a new ultrasound technique called elastic imaging. . This advanced method gives immediate results, helping patients not to be afraid when taking mammograms or having a pain during a biopsy.

This method exploits a simple feature of melanoma: it is harder than benign because the body seeks to isolate the tumor by covering it with fibrous tissue. Elastic ultrasound helps distinguish between hard and tender, non-painful tumors.

(Photo: HTV) To perform the scan, the professional moves the ultrasound scan above the contact area. This special system continuously collects two images, regular ultrasound images and elastic images, and shows up next to each other on the screen. The image of white soft tissue will move when people press lightly, and the hard tissue is black. Compared with elastic ultrasound, benign tumors appear smaller than regular tumors, while melanoma is larger. Comparing two images shows which tumors are suspicious.

Dr. Barr examined 123 tumors using a new technique before performing a biopsy to verify the results. Of these, 17 cases of biopsy concluded that cancer. Elastic images accurately predicted these 17 cases! Among 106 benign cases, elastic ultrasound results: 105 benign cases and 1 malignant case. This false positive was also transferred to a verification biopsy, but no cancer was missed.

Dr. Barr is currently conducting a larger survey, involving 1,000 to 2,000 women, to confirm the value of new diagnostic techniques.