What does shadowing mean on breast ultrasound?
Abstract. As ultrasonic beams propagate through tissues, there is a loss of energy by absorption, reflection and scattering. This loss is displayed in the image as shadowing and is an important sonographic sign for the detection and diagnosis of breast disease.
What is a hypoechoic breast mass?
Hypoechoic nodule or solid lesion in a breast Hypoechoic means an area looks darker on ultrasound than the surrounding tissue. The surrounding tissue therefore looks brighter/lighter shades of grey.
Is hypoechoic mass cancerous?
Solid masses are hypoechoic and can be cancerous. Cysts filled with air or fluid are usually hyperechoic and are rarely cancerous. Abnormal tissue also looks different from healthy tissue on a sonogram. Your doctor will usually do further testing if an ultrasound shows a solid mass or what looks like abnormal tissue.
Can a fibroadenoma have shadowing?
Once the fibroadenoma begins to undergo hyalinization, posterior acoustic shad- owing may be seen (Figure 1). Up to 30% of non- calcified fibroadenomas may exhibit posterior acoustic shadowing.
What causes shadow on the breast?
Shadows — these can due to increased density of breast tissue or harmless (benign) cysts. Calcium deposits (calcification) — although large numbers of tiny calcium deposits may be associated with cancer, calcification can also be caused by ageing, injury or a benign lump such as a fibroadenoma.
What causes shadowing on ultrasound?
Shadowing is created by nearly complete absorption or reflection of the sound beam at the structure of high attenuation. If the sound is reflected (in case of soft tissue-gas interface), the area below the structure looks inhomogeneous (dirty shadowing) because of multiple reflections or reverberations.
What percentage of hypoechoic breast nodules are malignant?
Irregular hypoechoic breast masses on US are usually considered suspicious BI-RADS category 4, but BI-RADS category 4 lesions are known to have a broad range of malignant rates (3-94%), and these lesions on US vary significantly on histopathological examinations.
Are breast cysts hypoechoic?
The majority of breast lesions detected by ultrasound are hypoechoic. According to the BI-RADS lexicon [1], a hyperechoic lesion is defined by an echogenicity greater than that of subcutaneous fat or equal to that of fibroglandular parenchyma.
What does posterior shadowing mean?
The phenomenon of acoustic shadowing (sometimes, somewhat tautologically, called posterior acoustic shadowing) on an ultrasound image is characterized by a signal void behind structures that strongly absorb or reflect ultrasonic waves. It is a form of imaging artifact.
What is the treatment for a hypoechoic mass?
A hypoechoic mass is most commonly found in the breast. Hypoechoic masses may be discovered in various parts of the body. Chemotherapy may be helpful in treating a hypoechoic mass. A hypoechoic mass may require surgical removal.
Is hypoechoic good or bad?
A hypoechoic breast mass may be benign, as in the case of a non-cancerous tumor called a fibroadenoma. This appears on an ultrasound scan as a hypoechoic mass with smooth edges. Fibroadenomas are common in young women and may sometimes disappear by themselves, so they are usually only removed if they are large or increasing in size.
What is a lobular hypoechoic mass?
A hypoechoic mass is tissue in the body that’s more dense or solid than usual . This term is used to describe what is seen on an ultrasound scan. Ultrasound uses sound waves that are absorbed by or bounce off of tissues, organs, and muscles.
What is an irregular hypoechoic mass?
A hypoechoic mass may be a tumor or abnormal growth. It may be benign or malignant. A benign tumor may grow but it will not spread (metastasize) to other organs. A malignant (cancerous) tumor can spread and invade other parts of the body. In some cases, an ultrasound scan may be the first exam to check organs and tissues.