Automated breast ultrasound an effective alternative to handheld options
Automated breast ultrasound represents a viable imaging alternative that could compensate for many of the known issues with handheld scanners.
A new paper in the Journal of the American College of Radiology details the utility of automation when compared to standard handheld ultrasound, highlighting their effectiveness at overcoming issues relating to operator skill level. Handheld ultrasound is highly dependent on operator experience, and the exams are vulnerable to variability. In recent years, interest in automation as a solution to these issues has grown alongside the rising demand for supplemental breast imaging.
“Previously, [handheld ultrasound] was the only available modality, and it was known to have drawbacks related to a lack of reproducibility and operator dependency,” Brian Sprague, PhD, with the department of radiology at the University of Vermont Medical Center, and colleagues noted. “[Automated breast ultrasound] has the potential to overcome these two drawbacks, which, though speculative, could translate into fewer false-positive screens when compared to HHUS.”
The team sought to better understand how automated ultrasound stacks up against handheld alternatives with respect to abnormal interpretation rates, short-term follow-up, false positives, biopsy recommendations and cancer detection yield. They analyzed observational data from more than 25,000 breast ultrasound exams (21,110 handheld and 4,218 automated) among a cohort of women with dense breast tissue, comparing the outcomes of each supplemental option.
Automated outperformed handheld ultrasound in several key measures, yielding a lower abnormal interpretation rate of 15% compared to 19%, lower short interval follow-up recommendation rate (3% vs. 15%) and a lower false-positive initial assessment rate (15% compared to 19%). Both biopsy and false-positive biopsy recommendations were similar between the two groups, as were positive predictive values and cancer detection rates.
“[Automated breast ultrasound] appears to be associated with less additional imaging at initial interpretation and with respect to [short interval follow-up] recommendations at final assessment, while maintaining the same cancer detection rate,” the group noted. “ABUS should be considered by healthcare providers as an effective alternative to [handheld ultrasound] for screening of appropriately selected women with dense breasts.”
The full study can be viewed here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She began covering the medical imaging industry for Innovate Healthcare in 2021.