Breast-specific gamma imaging with 99mTc-Sestamibi and magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of breast cancer--a comparative study

The purpose of this study was to compare the sensitivity and specificity of breast-specific gamma imaging (BSGI) using a high-resolution breast-specific gamma camera and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with indeterminate breast findings. Twenty-three women with an indeterminate breast finding that required BSGI and MRI as deemed necessary by the interpreting radiologist or referring physician were included. MRI was performed on a GE 1.5T scanner and BSGI was performed on a Dilon high-resolution breast-specific gamma camera. All imaging findings were correlated with pathologic diagnosis. Thirty-three indeterminate lesions were evaluated in the study. There were a total of nine pathologically confirmed cancers. There was no statistically significant difference in sensitivity of cancer detection between BSGI and MRI. BSGI demonstrated a greater specificity than MRI, 71% and 25%, respectively. BSGI has equal sensitivity and greater specificity than MRI for the detection of breast cancer.