ROLE OF ULTRASOUND FOR DIFFERNTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF CYSTIC MASSES IN THE BREAST

Abstract

The high frequency and the diverse variety of the breast lesions in addition to being of breast cancer number one in tumors affecting females encourage me to do this study. The study was done among patients coming in Jubail general hospital to the ultra sound clinic in a period of one year (March 2005-march 2006) using Aloka 3500 ultra sound machine, linear probe with 7 MHZ and above was used.

The objective was to detect the incidence of cystic mass in the breast in relation to age, nationality and its pathology.

From one hundred and six (106) woman included in the study; 73 patients (69%) were found to have pathology while the rest have normal breast tissue. The highest incidence of cystic mass (44%) was found among those 40-50 years of age, while the highest incidence of pathology was found among Saudi ladies as suggested from other studies to be due to early marriage, and long maternal and lactating time which increase the incidence of complications and pathology in addition to the shyness of those ladies and their late presentation. Solid masses show the highest incidence among all patients, about 45%, between the different age groups and nationalities, and thanks God; 81% of all pathology was benign. The ultrasound appearance of the pathology can give good idea about the nature of the disease, which is confirmed by F.N.A The golden rule & advice is health education; regarding breast self-examination as well as those females have risk factor (1st degree relative with malignancy, age, exposure to radiation,….) as well as the importance of ultrasound examination at least yearly for all ladies for early detection of pathology without cut pain or exposure to radiation as well as the importance of the follow up for cure and recurrence. Computer analyses for sonography scan in high technology research centre promise with a 100 % diagnosis from the scan only in the very soon coming future.