The ultrasonic diagnosis of the breast diseases, particularly the differential diagnosis for breast carcinoma and benign tumors, has been carried out by the sensitivity graded method of ultrasonotomography.
In the present studies, four experiments were performed using fresh surgical specimens of breast tumors, for the purpose of revealing ultrasonic characteristics of breast tumor tissue and of improvement of ultrasonic diagnosis for breast diseases.
The following results were obtained :
1) Experiment 1 : The instrument to measure attenuation constant of breast tumor tissue was contrived by the auther. As the results of the experiment breast cancer, expecially scirrhous carcinoma, showed the highest attenuation constant of tumor tissue, and sarcoma, fibroadenoma and cyst were followed.
2) Experiment 2 : Ultrasonic attenuation of breast tumor was investigated experimentally by the sensitivity graded ultrasonotomography with fresh surgical specimens of breast tumors. In this experiment ultrasonic attenuation of the tumor was measured as value in decibel when defect of back echo of the tumor begins and when it completes, and also measured decibel differences at the two different points between beginning of side echo of the tumor and of back echo. Grade of attenuation was greater in breast carcinoma, especially scirrhous carcinoma, than in benign tumors.
3) Experiment 3 : Strength of internal echoes of breast tumors was investigated experimentally using fresh surgical specimens. Breast carcinoma showed stronger internal echoes than fibroadenoma, and cyst the poorest internal echoes.
4) Experiment 4 : The boundary echo of each tumors was observed according to size of tumor using the fresh surgical specimens.
5) Our criteria for interpretation of ultrasonogram (sensitivity graded method) was proposed by reference to the results of the above experiments.
6) Apart from the above (5), four different echo patterns (Ia, Ib, IIa and IIb) of the conglomerated type and two patterns (IIIa and IIIb) of the mixed type were classified for pattern diagnosis.
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