Abstract: Objective To explore the diagnostic value of virtual touch tissue quantification(VTQ)in the differential diagnosis of breast masses. Methods A total of 102 patients with 107 breast masses were examined by means of VTQ technique. The shear wave velocity(SWV)was measured within the lesion(SWVi), in the boundary zone(SWVb)and in the normal glandular tissues(SWVg). With results of pathological diagnosis as the gold standard, receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of VTQ and to find the optimal cut-off point in differentiating malignant from benign lesions. Results The SWVi was higher than SWVb and SWVg, and SWVb was higher than SWVg in both malignant and benign groups(P<0.05). The SWVi and SWVb were(6.70±1.75)and(4.58±1.38)m/s, respectively in malignant lesions, and were(3.52±1.52)and(2.80±0.97)m/s respectively in benign lesions, with significant differences between benign and malignant lesions(P<0.01). When the cut-off point of SWVi was determined as 5.06 m/s, the sensitivity was 83.7% and the specificity was 85.9%. When the cut-off point of SWVb was determined as 3.51 m/s, the sensitivity was 79.1% and the specificity was 81.2%. Conclusion The SWVi and SWVb can help the differential diagnosis of breast tumors.

Key words: Virtual touch tissue quantification, Breast diseases, Ultrasonography, differentiation, Diagnosis