Author: Richard G. Barr M.D., Ph.D

Southwoods X-Ray and Open MRI, Youngstown, Ohio

Authored date: 2006-11-21

Patient History

A 62 year old female patient presented with a non-palpable lesion, which was detected on a screening mammogram. She was referred for a diagnostic ultrasound work-up, to help further characterize the lesion as a cyst, a complex cystic mass, or a solid mass.

Clinical Images

Image LH: 2D-mode ultrasound, imaging through fatty tissue at the conventional speed of sound, results in phase aberration artifacts which compromise image quality.

Image RH: Ultrasound optimized for Fatty Tissue Imaging (FTI) demonstrates improved margin and spicule detail. The spicules show calcifications, which are typically indicative of malignancy.

Clinical Outcome

The FTI technique improved resolution and allowed detection of subtle signs of malignancy. An ultrasound-guided core biopsy confirmed the lesion to be an invasive ductal carcinoma.

Ultrasound Solution

Ultrasound techniques have historically used a fixed speed of sound for all imaging, despite the fact that the speed of sound varies in different types of tissue. The conventional speed of 1540m/s is not ideal for fatty breast tissue. Siemens FTI uses an optimal speed of sound for fatty breast tissue which corrects for phase aberration, increases detail and contrast resolution, and improves boundary detection. The result is better detection and identification of subtle lesion characteristics, leading to increased diagnostic confidence. Optimizing speed is a real-time, easy-to-use, single-button solution, which is applied during the standard ultrasound exam and requires no additional time to complete the study.