Causes of attenuation of the sound waves in neoplasms of the breast. Histologic and echographic correlation study [Cause di attenuazione del fascio acustico nelle neoplasie mammarie. Studio correlato istologico-ecografico.]

The purpose of our study was to compare the ultrasound findings in malignant breast masses (which underwent biopsy) with their histological appearance. In our activity of breast sonography, we observed that the same histological type of breast cancer often shows a different ultrasonic image. The main difference concerns the sonic attenuation or increase through the neoplastic mass. The histological examination took into account the amount of stroma and cells and the architectural pattern of the lesion. Comparing these features with the ultrasonic image, it has been shown that sonic transmission is related more to the architectural pattern than to the fibrous content of the neoplastic tissue.