Evaluation of Different Types of Breast Lesions With Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and Shear Wave Elastography Values: Comparison of Shear Wave Elastography and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient in Breast Lesions

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the stiffness of different histological types of breast lesions by obtaining shear wave elastography (SWE) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values, and to determine the contribution of these two methods to the diagnosis. Materials and Methods: In total, 70 patients with biopsy-proven breast lesions were included in the study. The mean SWE values of breast lesions were recorded and ADC values of these lesions were calculated. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses and the diagnostic accuracies of SWE-ADC values were determined. Results: The mean SWE values were 45.47 ± 25.11 kPa and 3.51 ± 1.04 m/s in benign group, and 161.11 ± 219.34 kPa and 5.96 ± 1.06 m/s in malignant group, respectively. The mean ADC values were 1.38 ± 0.32 (×10–3 mm2 /s) in benign group and 0.96 ± 0.22 (×10–3 mm2 /s) in malignant group, respectively. When the diagnostic performances of both imaging modalities on mass stiffness are evaluated, statistically significant negative correlations were found between SWE lesion values and ADC lesion values. Conclusion: Evaluation of tissue elasticity has recently been used frequently in the diagnosis of breast diseases. SWEADC values, which are negatively correlated in the diagnosis of breast masses, may prove to be a powerful alternative diagnostic tool that can be used interchangeably, as appropriate.