Value of breast specific gamma imaging in the diagnosis of breast carcinoma

Objective To compare the efficiency of breast specific gamma imaging (BSGI) and mammography for the diagnosis of breast carcinoma.Methods Fifty-six patients suspected of breast carcinoma underwent both BSGI and mammography within 15 d interval before surgery,and the diagnostic results were verified with histological examination.The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated.x2 test was applied for statistical analysis.Results The sensitivity,specificity,accuracy,positive predictive value,negative predictive value of BSGI and mammography were 92％(34/37) vs 76％(28/37),84％(16/19) vs 74％(14/19),89％(50/56) vs 75％(42/56),92％(34/37) vs 85％(28/33),84％(16/19) vs 61％(14/23),respectively,and there was no significant difference between the two methods (x2 =1.14,P＞0.05).There were 6 breast carcinoma patients with dense breast tissue,and those malignant lesions were accurately identified with BSGI,but not with mammography.Conclusion BSGI is a useful adjunct imaging modality for the diagnosis of breast carcinoma,especially for the dense breast. Key words: Breast neoplasms;  Radionuclide imaging;  Mammography;  Diagnosis, differential