Table 1. The demographic and ultrasonographic characteristics of enrolled patients with small breast nodules.
| Parameter | Pathological result | Total | t/χ2 | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benign | Malignant | ||||
| No. of nodules | n = 192 | n = 113 | n = 305 | ||
| Age, years | 0.693 | 0.406 | |||
| Mean | 42 ± 14 | 60 ± 12 | |||
| Range | 18–83 | 36–84 | |||
| Tumor size (mm) | 2.452 | 0.118 | |||
| Mean | 13.8 ± 4.3 | 14.5 ± 3.8 | |||
| Range | 4–20 | 5–20 | |||
| Location, n (%) | 0.759 | 0.226 | |||
| Right breast | 88 (45.8) | 46 (40.7) | 134 | ||
| Left breast | 104 (54.2) | 67 (59.3) | 171 | ||
| Shape, n (%) | 57.455 | <0.001 | |||
| Oval | 106 (55.2) | 13 (11.5) | 119 | ||
| Round | 8 (4.2) | 7 (6.2) | 15 | ||
| Irregular | 78 (40.6) | 93 (82.3) | 171 | ||
| Orientation, n (%) | 59.354 | <0.001 | |||
| Parallel | 159 (82.8) | 45 (39.8) | 204 | ||
| Non-parallel | 33 (17.2) | 68 (60.2) | 101 | ||
| Margin, n (%) | 91.450 | <0.001 | |||
| Circumscribed | 141 (73.4) | 19 (16.8) | 160 | ||
| Not circumscribed | 51 (26.6) | 94 (83.2) | 145 | ||
| Echo pattern, n (%) | 3.093 | 0.542 | |||
| Hypoechoic | 169 (88.0) | 101 (89.4) | 270 | ||
| Heterogeneous | 7 (3.6) | 5 (4.4) | 12 | ||
| Complex cystic and solid | 15 (7.8) | 7 (6.2) | 22 | ||
| Hyperechoic | 1 (0.5) | 0 | 1 | ||
| Posterior acoustic features, n (%) | 16.015 | 0.001 | |||
| No. of posterior acoustic features | 172 (89.6) | 94 (83.2) | 266 | ||
| Enhancement | 10 (5.2) | 1 (0.9) | 11 | ||
| Shadowing | 7 (3.6) | 17 (15.0) | 24 | ||
| Combined pattern | 3 (1.6) | 1 (0.9) | 4 | ||
| Calcification, n (%) | 43.308 | <0.001 | |||
| None | 156 (81.3) | 54 (47.8) | 210 | ||
| Calcification inside a mass | 35 (18.2) | 52 (46.0) | 87 | ||
| Calcification outside a mass | 1 (0.5) | 0 | 1 | ||
| Intraductal calcification | 0 | 7 (6.2) | 7 | ||
| Vascularity, n (%) | 35.871 | <0.001 | |||
| Absent | 136 (70.8) | 44 (38.9) | 180 | ||
| Internal vascularity | 43 (22.4) | 62 (54.9) | 105 | ||
| Vessels in rim | 11 (5.7) | 4 (3.5) | 15 | ||
| Internal+vessels in rim | 2 (1.0) | 3 (2.7) | 5 | ||
| Lymph node metastasis, n (%) | 60.745 | <0.001 | |||
| Normal | 192 (100.0) | 78 (69.0) | 271 | ||
| Metastasis | 0 | 35 (31.0) | 35 | ||