Comparison of the SR max , SR ave , and color map of strain-elastography in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions.

Background The maximum value of the strain ratio (SR) is a newly developed measure in strain-elastography. Purpose To prospectively compare the diagnostic performance of three different measures of strain-elastography, the maximum value of the SR (SRmax ), the average value of the SR (SRave ), and the color map, for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions. Material and Methods We obtained the SRmax and SRave of 314 lesions from 290 patients with the tissue to nodule SR and color map using a five-degree scoring system. The diagnostic performances of the SRmax , SRave , and color map were compared after obtaining the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) of each parameter. Results The AUC of the SRmax (0.7674) was larger than the AUCs of the SRave (0.7138) and color map (0.6324), with statistical significance ( P = 0.0383 for SRmax vs. SRave , P = 0.0000 for SRmax vs. color map). The AUC of the SRave was larger than that of the color map; however, there was no significant difference. The optimal cut-off point of the SRmax that balanced the sensitivity (91.12%) and specificity (50.81%) was 5.16. Conclusion The SRmax is a more reliable diagnostic tool than the SRave and color map for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.