Diagnosis of breast cancer at dynamic MRI in patients with breast augmentation by paraffin or silicone injection

Aim

To determine the diagnostic performance of dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for breast cancer in breasts augmented with liquid paraffin or silicone injection.

Materials and methods

Among 62 patients with breast augmentation by liquid paraffin or silicone injection who had undergone dynamic breast MRI at our institution, 27 women, who had pathological diagnosis or at least 1-year MRI follow-up, were included in this retrospective study and their MRI images were reviewed. For enhancing lesions on MRI, the morphological features, enhancement kinetics, and BI-RADS assessment category were analysed. The lesion characteristics at MRI were correlated with the final diagnosis based on the histopathological result or at least 1-year MRI follow-up.

Results

Of the 27 patients, 17 enhancing lesions in 13 patients were found on MRI. All six lesions that were confirmed as malignancy showed suspicious morphological findings and type 2 or 3 enhancement kinetics, assigned to BI-RADS category 4 or 5. Of the remaining 11 benign lesions, 10 showed benign-favouring morphological findings, and all showed type 1 enhancement kinetics, assigned to BI-RADS category 2 or 4.

Conclusion

In patients with breasts injected with foreign material, MRI was used to successfully diagnose malignant breast lesions and could be the diagnostic method of choice. Analysis of the morphological and kinetic features at MRI in conjunction with clinical findings is essential.