Diagnostic Performance and Accuracy of the 3 Interpreting Methods of Breast Strain Elastography: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis.

There are 3 methods of interpreting breast strain elastography: the elastographic–to–B‐mode length ratio (E/B), a 5‐point color scale (5P), and the strain ratio (SR). This meta‐analysis assessed which method is superior to the others. A systematic search of the medical literature was performed in July 2017. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they fulfilled the following criteria: (1) had biopsy‐proven or long‐term stability as the reference standard; (2) used either the E/B, 5P, or SR to interpret results; and (3) had at least 50 cases. A total of 220 records were retrieved; 60 full‐text articles were examined, and 46 were included in the meta‐analysis. Publication years ranged from 2007 and 2017. The quality of studies was generally high. The mean age of women was 48 years; 12,398 lesions (4242 malignant) were analyzed. For the 5P method, the sensitivity was 77%; specificity, 87%; positive likelihood ratio (LR), 5.3; and negative LR, 0.24. For the SR method, sensitivity was 87%; specificity, 81%; positive LR, 4.8; and negative LR, 0.16. For the E/B method, sensitivity was 96%; specificity, 88%; positive LR, 7.1; and negative LR, 0.03. Of the 3 methods, the E/B had the highest sensitivity, and the E/B and 5P had the highest specificity. With a negative LR of 0.03, the E/B method can downgrade lesions with a pretest probability of 50% to a 2% probability of malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]