Despina Kontos PhD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Lynda Ikejimba, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Emily F. Conant MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Andrew D.A. Maidment PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Consultant, XCounter AB Research support, Siemens AG, Malvern, PA Research support, Hologic, Inc, Bedford, MA Research support, National Digital Medical Archive, Inc, Malvern, PA Consultant, Real-Time Tomography, LLC Spouse, President, Real-Time Tomography, LLC

To investigate the extend in which breast parenchymal texture is an inherent characteristic property for women by examining both diagnostic and screening populations with multimodality digital breast imaging.

We analyzed bilateral digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and digital mammography (DM) images from 110 women. Images were retrospectively collected per HIPAA and IRB approval from two breast imaging trials in our department including: i) 39 women with recently detected abnormalities and previous cancer patients and ii) 71 cancer-free women presenting for screening mammography. DBT and DM acquisition was performed on the same day with a GE DBT prototype system. Filtered-backprojection was used to reconstruct DBT tomographic planes in 1 mm increments. Retroareolar (2.5 cm)3 ROIs were manually segmented from the DBT reconstructed images; corresponding (2.5 cm)2 ROIs were segmented from the DM images. Parenchymal image texture features skewness, coarseness, contrast, energy, homogeneity, energy, and fractal dimension using fully-automated computerized methods. The Pearson correlation (r) was computed between i) contralateral and ipsilateral breasts for the diagnostic and ii) between left and right breasts for the screening population.

Strong between-breast texture correlations were observed. Overall, these correlations were stronger in the screening than the diagnostic population and stronger in DBT than DM. Representative DBT between-breast texture correlations were equal to r=0.47 for coarseness, r=0.80 for contrast, r=0.88 for energy and r=0.81 for homogeneity for the diagnostic population; and equal to r=0.65 for coarseness, r=0.82 for contrast, r=0.90 for energy and r=0.85 for homogeneity for the screening population.

Parenchymal texture properties are inherent breast tissue characteristics for individual women. The lower correlations observed in the diagnostic population suggest that parenchymal texture could be indicative of deviations from normal parenchymal variation as a potential surrogate of a higher-risk or as an early indication of disease development.

Parenchymal texture patterns may reflect inherent parenchymal tissue characteristics that are associated with a woman’s risk of breast cancer and subsequently aid in breast cancer risk estimation.

Kontos, D, Ikejimba, L, Conant, E, Maidment, A, Breast Parenchymal Texture as an Inherent Characteristic Property for Women: Comparative Study in Diagnostic and Screening Populations with Multimodality Imaging.  Radiological Society of North America 2009 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 29 - December 4, 2009 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2009/8016895.html