Role of Ultrasound in the Early Diagnosis of Breast Masses in Women with Dense and Non-Dense Breasts

Abstract

Background: Breast ultrasonography is widely used in the assessment of breast abnormalities, particularly in women with dense breast tissue and in those presenting with focal symptoms. However, the distribution of sonographic findings across dense and non-dense breasts in routine clinical settings remains insufficiently characterized. Objective: To evaluate the role of ultrasound in detecting breast masses among women with dense and non-dense breasts and to determine the association of sonographic findings with age and symptomatic status. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Radiology Department of Lahore General Hospital, Lahore, among 125 women aged 20–60 years who underwent breast ultrasonography. Data on age, symptomatic status, breast density, and sonographic findings were recorded and analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Frequencies and percentages were calculated, and associations between categorical variables were tested using chi-square analysis. Results: Of the 125 participants, 63 (50.4%) had dense breasts and 62 (49.6%) had non-dense breasts, while 88 (70.4%) were symptomatic. Age was significantly associated with symptomatic status (p<0.001) and breast density (p<0.001). Sonographic findings were significantly associated with symptomatic status (p=0.017), and symptomatic status was significantly associated with breast density (p<0.001). However, no significant association was observed between sonographic findings and breast density (p=0.215). Conclusion: Ultrasound detected a wide range of breast findings in both dense and non-dense breasts. In this cohort, age and clinical presentation showed stronger associations with ultrasound findings than breast density status alone.