Abstract
Objectives: Several types of small metal breast tissue markers (markers) are used during imageguided biopsy procedures. The aim of this study was to compare the visibility of the four types of markers currently used in our institutes on ultrasound images.
Materials and Methods: This was a single-center retrospective study involving female patients who had a marker inserted by mammography-guided biopsy from April 2016 to November 2021 and subsequently underwent ultrasound examination for clinical diagnosis during the period covered. The visibility of each marker was scored on a four-point scale by four technologists and the mean visibility scores were compared using the Steel-Dwass test.
Results and Discussion: The study included 101 cases (age range: 31 to 79 years, median: 50 years). The mean marker visibility scores were 2.5 points (34 cases) for the cork type, 1.5 points (14cases) for the hourglass type, 0.8 points (36 cases) for the ribbon type and 2.8 points (17 cases) for the spring type. There was significantly higher visibility for the spring and cork types than for the hourglass and ribbon types (p<0.05). In heterogeneous mammary tissue, it is often difficult to distinguish between markers and in vivo structures. Therefore, it was found that the delineation of structures that are clearly different from in vivo structures, such as anechoic or acoustic shadows, is an important factor in improving the visibility of the marker.
Conclusion: The visibility of markers implanted in the breast after biopsy for the spring and cork types than was superior to that of the hourglass and ribbon types. The presence of anechoic areas and acoustic shadows affected the marker visibility results.
