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Scintimammography in Patients with Minimal Mammographic or Clinical Findings¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology, Los Robles Regional Medical Center, 227 W Janss Rd, Suite 150, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360. Presented as a scientific exhibit at the 1999 RSNA scientific assembly. Received May 8, 2000; revision requested September 25 and received October 26; accepted October 27. Address correspondence to R.L.P.

A prospective study was made of scintimammographic findings obtained in 75 patients with minimal mammographic or physical examination findings. Patients included those with a new mammographic nodule or density (n = 33), indeterminate calcifications (n = 15), a palpable abnormality with normal mammographic findings and normal or inconclusive ultrasonographic findings (n = 13), or a new lump or mammographic change at the site of prior surgery (n = 14). A positive scintimammographic focus was defined as a discrete, rounded lesion with increased uptake and could have an intensity ranging from low to very high. Of the 30 cancers diagnosed, 27 demonstrated a positive scintimammographic focus. Eight of these foci represented occult cancers that were not identified at mammography or physical examination, and 11 were smaller than 1 cm (down to 4 mm). The overall sensitivity and specificity of scintimammography were 90% and 93.8%, respectively, which suggests that this modality may be useful in the early detection of breast cancer. It can also help distinguish postsurgical and post–radiation therapy changes from carcinoma and may be of value in certain high-risk patients. Scintimammography is a useful, noninvasive method of evaluating patients with low-suspicion or indeterminate mammographic or palpable findings and can help detect additional small tumors.

Index Terms: Breast, biopsy, 00.1261 • Breast neoplasms, 00.32 • Breast neoplasms, diagnosis, 00.11, 00.1216 • Breast neoplasms, radiography, 00.11 • Breast neoplasms, radionuclide studies, 00.1216 • Breast radiography, 00.11 • Cancer screening, 00.11, 00.1216

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Invited Commentary • Author's Response

Eduard V. Kotlyarov and Ruth L. Polan
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