Table 1.
Criteria for evaluating breast lesions on contrast-enhanced MR images (the evaluation score).
| Criterion | Points | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shape of contrast-enhanced lesion | |
| Round, oval, linear, lobular | 0 | |
| Branching, spiculated, stellate | 1 | |
| 2 | Margin of contrast-enhanced lesion | |
| Well-defined | 0 | |
| Indistinca/ill-defined | 1 | |
| 3 | Enhancing pattern of the lesion | |
| Homogenous, non-enhancing internal septations | 0 | |
| In-homogenous | 1 | |
| Ring enhancement | 2 | |
| 4 | Initial signal intensity increasea | |
| Less than 50% | 0 | |
| 50% to 100% | 1 | |
| More than 100% | 2 | |
| 5 | Signal intensity at 3-6 minutes after contrast injection | |
| Steady increase or continuousb | 0 | |
| Plateauc | 1 | |
| Washoutd | 2 | |
a
Initial peak signal intensity increase within the first 3 minutes after contrast material administration relative to the precontrast signal intensity.
b
Continued signal intensity increase=signal intensity increase of greater than 10% relative to the initial peak signal intensity at 3-8 minutes.
c
Plateau=deviation of the signal intensity at 3-8 minutes of (10%) relative to the initial peak signal intensity.
d
Washout=signal intensity decrease of greater than 10% relative to the initial peak signal intensity at 3-8 minutes.