Assessing the Diagnostic Precision of Ultrasound Elastography (Sonoelastography) in Differentiating Benign from Malignant Axillary Lymph nodes in Primary Breast Cancer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51253/pafmj.v75i3.11191Keywords:
Elastography, Lymph Nodes, Malignant, Sensitivity, Sonoelastography, Ultrasonography.Abstract
Objectives: To assess the diagnostic efficacy of ultrasonic elastography (Sonoelastography) as compared to B-mode ultrasonography in distinguishing between cancerous and benign axillary lymph nodes in patients with primary carcinoma of breast, using tissue diagnosis as a reference standard.
Study Design: Comparative Cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Radiology, Armed Forces Institute of Radiology, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from May to Nov 2021.
Methodology: Three hundred and forty-five (n=345) patients diagnosed with primary breast cancer, who had palpable axillary lymph nodes of varying sizes, and were between the ages of 20 and 60 years of either gender, were included. All patients underwent examination of their axillary lymph nodes using B-mode ultrasonography and ultrasound elastography, capable of detecting either benign or malignant lymph nodes.
Results: The results of the B-mode ultrasonography were 91.30%, 78.26%, 86.30%, 85.71%, and 86.09% for sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV, respectively. Comparing malignant and benign axillary lymph nodes, ultrasound elastography overall showed sensitivity of 94.20%, specificity of 91.30%, PPV of 94.20%, NPV of 91.30%, and overall diagnostic accuracy of 94.04%.
Conclusion: The research findings indicate that, as a diagnostic modality for assessing the malignancy of axillary lymph nodes, ultrasound elastography performs better than B-mode ultrasonography.
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