ABSTRACT

In an attempt to evaluate the condition of patient with (palpable) breast lesions the Triple Test Score (TTS), which includes physical examination, mammography, and fine needle aspiration biopsy, is the best clinical approach. In cases where these three methods are well-integrated the diagnostic accuracy rate leads to 100 %. In this study, 48 lesions in 46 patients are examined by physical examination, mammography, FNAB and MR imagining (MRI). All lesions are diagnosed histopathologically and following that MRI is compared with the TTS. The Triple Test methods were each assigned a score of 1,2,3 for benign, uncertain or malign. All lesions with TTS less than or equal to 4 were accepted as benign, and all lesions with TTS greater than or equal to 6 were accepted as malign. In order to identify all lesions with TTS equal to 5 as benign or malign, histopathological examination is needed. Of the 17 lesions with TTS less than or equal to 4 has a specifity of 100% where the MRI has a specifity of 64%. Of the 22 lesions with TTS greater than or equal to 6 has a sensitivity of 96% where the MRI has a sensitivity of 82%. However, 4 out of the 9 lesions with scores of 5 were diagnosed 1 benign and 3 malign by MRI and for 5 lesions histopathological examination is needed. Hence, in effort to diagnose the lesions with TTS of 5 the method of MRI is higly suggested.