美科学家研制出乳房囊肿新型超声检查方法

在最近一项小规模试验中发现：“流动检测”超声技术能够成功地将已分化的液体充盈的囊肿与实体组织鉴别出来，从而可能减少从囊肿穿刺抽液的次数，以及传统超声波扫描无法区别乳房组织的影像随访检查的次数。

根据美国杜克大学医学中心研究人员的说法，流体检测使用传统的超声检测方法，将声波聚焦于病变部位，使存在于肿块中的液体产生运动。如果存在液体运动，就可以确定该肿块不是实体肿块，而是囊肿，这通常是良性病变。流体检测软件可以下载到传统超声波检测仪上，而无需添加任何额外占据空间的设备。

在该项研究中，这种方法将20例建议进行囊肿穿刺抽液病变中的50％精确地鉴别出存在液体的囊肿，在所有7例实体病变中，都成功的发现病变没有液体运动。

“这种技术在临床上具有成为传统乳房超声检查的补充工具，使得放射科医生能够将良性液体囊肿与实体病变区别开来。在进行传统超声波检查时确诊囊肿的能力，将减少患者进行囊肿穿刺抽液检查的痛苦，同时降低囊肿穿刺检查手术的医疗保健费用。”Sujata V. Ghate医生如此评价说，他是该试验的研究人员之一。在2005年新奥尔良5月举行的美国伦琴射线学会年会上，Ghate医生报道了他的研究成果。

Ultrasound May Reduce Breast Cyst Aspirations
 
“Streaming detection” ultrasound technology successfully identified differentiated fluid-filled cysts from solid masses in a recent pilot study, and has the potential to reduce the number of cyst aspirations and imaging follow-up exams for breast masses that are undefined at traditional ultrasound scanning.

According to investigators from Duke University Medical Center (Durham, NC, USA; www.mc.duke.edu), streaming detection uses conventional ultrasound methods to focus sound waves into the lesion to cause movement in any fluid present in the mass. If there is fluid movement, it shows that the mass is a cyst, which is typically benign, instead of a solid mass. The streaming detection software is downloaded onto a conventional ultrasound unit without the need for any additional space-occupying equipment.

In the study, this method was able to accurately identify movement within the fluid-filled cysts in 50% of the 20 lesions recommended for cyst aspirations, and successfully detected the lack of fluid movement in all seven of the solid lesions of the study.

“This technique has the potential to be used as a clinical tool to complement conventional breast ultrasound by allowing radiologists to differentiate a benign fluid-filled cyst from a solid lesion. The ability to confirm a cyst at the time of conventional ultrasound would reduce patient discomfort associated with cyst aspiration and help reduce the health care costs of cyst aspiration procedures,” stated Sujata V. Ghate, M.D., one of the investigators of the study. Dr. Ghate presented his findings at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society annual meeting held in May 2005 in New Orleans (LA, USA).