Diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting malignant breast lesions keeping histopathology as gold standard.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in detecting malignant breast lesions, using histopathology as the gold standard. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: A Tertiary Care Hospital in Sargodha, Pakistan. Period: February 2024, to December, 2024. Methods: With a sample size of 256 patients MRI, using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), was performed to evaluate the morphological and kinetic features of breast lesions. Histopathology results, obtained via fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) or biopsy, were used as the gold standard for comparison. Results: MRI showed a sensitivity of 93.9%, specificity of 73.5%, and an overall diagnostic accuracy of 89.3%. Conclusion: MRI is highly sensitive and accurate for detecting malignant breast lesions but has limitations in specificity, resulting in false positives. It is most effective when used as an adjunct to other imaging techniques and histopathology.