Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38292968›Full record

ArticleCureus2023

Sonographic Characteristics and Pathology Correlation of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) Category 4 Lesions.

Poonum Khan, Imrana Masroor, Muhammad S Alam, Abdus Salam, Yasir Ali, Muhammad Salman Khan

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.8field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Novel device for controlled dynamization of tibial fractures: randomized clinical trial.European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society · 2025
    Trial
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Poonum KhanRadiology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, PAK.
Imrana MasroorRadiology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, PAK.
Muhammad S AlamRadiology, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Medina, SAU.
Abdus SalamInternal Medicine, Khyber Teaching Hospital, Peshawar, PAK.
Yasir AliInternal Medicine, Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia, USA.
Muhammad Salman KhanDiagnostic and Interventional Imaging, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, USA.
Aga Khan University · PKKhyber Teaching Hospital · PKNazareth Hospital · USThe University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe Breast Imaging-Reporting and Database System (BI-RADS) category 4 is designated for breast lumps that do not display the typical features of malignancy but still raise enough suspicion to warrant a recommendation for a biopsy, as malignancy cannot be ruled out through imaging alone. The main objective of this study was to investigate the sonographic characteristics and pathology correlation of BI-RADS 4 breast lesions and determine the positive predictive rate of BI-RADS 4 lesions in diagnosing breast cancer, using histopathology as the gold standard.

methodsThis was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Radiology, Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, spanning from May 2021 to August 2022, with a duration of 15 months. The study focused on female patients over the age of 18 who presented with suspicious breast lesions on ultrasound. Both mammography and ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy were performed on these patients, followed by a detailed histopathological evaluation of the biopsy specimens. To calculate the positive predictive value (PPV), true positive cases were identified through both histopathology and ultrasonography.

resultsA total of 227 cases were categorized as BI-RADS 4 lesions, with the patients' mean age being 47.8 ± 14.3 years (range: 17 - 88). Among the biopsied lesions, 101 cases were confirmed to be true positive for breast malignancies, resulting in a PPV for malignancy of 44.9%. Conversely, there were 124 false positive cases out of the 227 BI-RADS 4 category lesions (54.63%). The primary indication for presentation was a breast lump, and out of the 101 confirmed malignant cases, 70 (69.3%) were associated with malignancy.

conclusionBI-RADS 4 can be utilized to assess suspicious breast lumps; however, for more reliable results and to avoid false negatives, histopathological confirmation should complement the imaging findings.

Indexed as

bi-rads 4breast cancer diagnosishistopathologymammographyultrasound-guided biopsy

Identifiers

PMID38292968
PMCPMC10827280
OpenAlexW4390462007

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.