HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Delille, J.-P. Articles by Garrido, L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Delille, J.-P. Articles by Garrido, L.

Hormone Replacement Therapy in Postmenopausal Women: Breast Tissue Perfusion Determined with MR Imaging—Initial Observations¹

¹ From the Division of Breast Imaging and NMR Center, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass (J.P.D., E.D.Y., D.B.K., E.F.H., L.G.), and the Department of Radiology, Caritas St Elizabeth’s Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine, 736 Cambridge St, Brighton, MA 02135 (P.J.S.). Received January 5, 2004; revision requested March 4; revision received June 25; accepted July 27. Supported by Société Française de Radiologie, Association pour la Recherche contre le Cancer, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, and Massachusetts General Hospital NMR Center. P.J.S. supported in part by RSNA Research Fellow grant (1995–1997). Address correspondence to P.J.S. (e-mail: priscilla_slanetz@cchcs.org).

PURPOSE: To use magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to evaluate tissue perfusion in the normal breast parenchyma of postmenopausal women with current or recent hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was approved by the institutional subcommittee on human studies, and informed consent was obtained from all patients prior to MR imaging. Sixty postmenopausal women (age range, 44–77 years) were grouped according to HRT received: estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) (n = 13), combined (estrogen and progesterone) replacement therapy (CRT) (n = 16), selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) therapy (n = 8), and no (hormone replacement) therapy (NT) (n = 23). MR imaging with a 1.5-T magnet was performed by using gradient-echo and dynamic contrast material–enhanced echo-planar pulse sequences before and after gadopentetate dimeglumine injection. Precontrast T1 relaxation times were measured, after which extraction-flow product (EFP) maps were calculated with a multicompartmental model. Analysis of variance was performed.

RESULTS: Age did not significantly differ between the groups (P > .3). Women receiving ERT or CRT at the time of MR imaging had higher EFP values (7.3 mL · 100 g^–1 · min^–1± 2.6 and 7.1 mL · 100 g^–1 · min^–1± 3.8, respectively) than did women receiving NT (4.4 mL · 100 g^–1 · min^–1± 2.1) (P = .012 and P = .008, respectively) or SERM therapy (3.9 mL · 100 g^–1 · min^–1± 1.1) (P = .015 and P = .013, respectively). Women who ended ERT or CRT 1–47 months before MR examination had lower EFP values than did women with current ERT or CRT and had higher EFP values than did women receiving NT or SERM therapy (6.2 mL · 100 g^–1 · min^–1± 2.4 and 5.9 mL · 100 g^–1 · min^–1± 3.8, respectively), but the observed differences were not significant (P > .1). Differences in T1 between all groups were not significant (P > .5).

CONCLUSION: Higher breast tissue perfusion is observed in postmenopausal women receiving HRT.

© RSNA, 2005

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Eng-Wong, J. Orzano-Birgani, C. K. Chow, D. Venzon, J. Yao, C. E. Galbo, J. A. Zujewski, and S. Prindiville Effect of Raloxifene on Mammographic Density and Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Premenopausal Women at Increased Risk for Breast Cancer Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., July 1, 2008; 17(7): 1696 - 1701. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]