Abstract:

Objective      To evaluate the mesh paddle as a substitute for the conventional paddle on the quality of the ultrasound image in a dual-modality breast imaging system. Methods     Gray scale and color Doppler images were obtained through the mesh paddle and TPX paddle in 43 solid breast masses in 41 patients. The contrast, contrastto-noise ratio (CNR) and signal strength of images were analyzed through different paddles. Flow signals were analyzed by calculating the number of color pixels in the color box. Results     There were significant differences in contrast, CNR and signal strength between the mesh paddle and TPX paddle(P<0.01, P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). In the 22 masses displaying flow signals in direct-contact scans, the display rate of flow signals through the mesh and TPX paddles was 100% and 40.91%, respectively. Compared with the mesh paddle, the number of color pixels for TPX paddle apparently decreased(P<0.001). Conclusion     The mesh paddle can improve ultrasound image quality, reduce acoustic attenuation and increase display rates of flow signals in the color Doppler mode in the dual-modality system.

Key words: Breast neoplasm; Dual-modality; Ultrasonography; Color Doppler; Mammography