ORIGINAL ARTICLES

The correlation of sonographic and histopathologic findings in the diagnosis of palpable breast masses in Zaria

Nafisa Bello, Sefiya Adebanke Olarinoye-Akorede, Halima Mono Mohammed, Ibrahim Aliyu, Mubarak Zubair Abdullahi, Muhammad Zaria Ibrahim, Sulieman Lawal, Muhammad Haruna Rasheed

Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria

Correspondence Address:
Dr. Nafisa Bello
Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria Nigeria

Source of Support: None
Conflict of Interest: None

Introduction: Presently, histology is the gold standard in definite diagnosis of breast masses. Ultrasound is a relatively cheap, non-invasive, and non-ionizing imaging modality which is widely available in most hospitals. An assessment of its accuracy in diagnosing breast masses is necessary to minimize unwarranted biopsies.

Aim and Objectives: This study aims to correlate the ultrasonographic and histopathologic findings in the diagnosis of patients with palpable breast masses.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study, which involved 100 consecutive patients who presented with palpable breast masses in Zaria. This was carried out for a period of 7 months (November 2016–June 2017). They had a clinical breast examination to identify the mass, which was then imaged and biopsied via ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology.

Results: The generated data were analysed using SPSS version 23.0 (Chicago, IL, USA). There were more benign masses (63%) than malignant masses (29%). On correlating the final diagnosis of ultrasound to that of histology, it was found to have a sensitivity of 89%; specificity of 94%; positive predictive value of 89%; negative predictive value of 94%; and accuracy of 92%.

Conclusion: This study shows that there was a correlation between ultrasound and histology findings in differentiating between benign and malignant masses. This proves that ultrasound has a significant role to play in evaluating and diagnosing clinically palpable breast masses.