"The BI-RADS lexicon prescribes descriptors for typically benign calcifications as well as suspicious morphologic terms and descriptors of calcification distribution 17. See also the separate article on breast calcifications: an approach."
"Calcifications that are typically benign do not need to be reported (BI-RADS 1), so that the referrer or patient reading the report would not be confused that they could be anything other than definitely benign, but they may be reported (BI-RADS 2) if there is concern that other observers viewing the images might not interpret them as benign 17."
"Calcifications that are typically benign do not need to be reported (BI-RADS 1), so that the referrer or patient reading the report would not be confused that they could be anything other than definitely benign, but they may be reported (BI-RADS 2) if there is concern that other observers viewing the images might not interpret them as benign 17."
"Round calcifications are benign (BI-RADS 2) if diffuse or stable for several years. Grouped punctate calcifications in isolation and without prior examinations for comparison are probably benign if a full diagnostic evaluation has been performed (BI-RADS 3). Punctate calcifications that are new, increased, or linear or segmental in distribution are suspicious (BI-RADS 4)."
"Round calcifications are benign (BI-RADS 2) if diffuse or stable for several years. Grouped punctate calcifications in isolation and without prior examinations for comparison are probably benign if a full diagnostic evaluation has been performed (BI-RADS 3). Punctate calcifications that are new, increased, or linear or segmental in distribution are suspicious (BI-RADS 4)."
"Round calcifications are benign (BI-RADS 2) if diffuse or stable for several years. Grouped punctate calcifications in isolation and without prior examinations for comparison are probably benign if a full diagnostic evaluation has been performed (BI-RADS 3). Punctate calcifications that are new, increased, or linear or segmental in distribution are suspicious (BI-RADS 4)."
"Amorphous calcifications are suspicious (BI-RADS 4) unless they are bilateral and diffuse and/or stable for many years. A single group of coarse heterogeneous, amorphous, or fine pleomorphic calcifications are moderately suspicious (BI-RADS 4B), whereas fine linear or fine-linear branching calcifications are highly suspicious (BI-RADS 4C) 17. A linear or segmental distribution increases the level of suspicion for calcifications with suspicious morphologies."
"Amorphous calcifications are suspicious (BI-RADS 4) unless they are bilateral and diffuse and/or stable for many years. A single group of coarse heterogeneous, amorphous, or fine pleomorphic calcifications are moderately suspicious (BI-RADS 4B), whereas fine linear or fine-linear branching calcifications are highly suspicious (BI-RADS 4C) 17. A linear or segmental distribution increases the level of suspicion for calcifications with suspicious morphologies."
"Amorphous calcifications are suspicious (BI-RADS 4) unless they are bilateral and diffuse and/or stable for many years. A single group of coarse heterogeneous, amorphous, or fine pleomorphic calcifications are moderately suspicious (BI-RADS 4B), whereas fine linear or fine-linear branching calcifications are highly suspicious (BI-RADS 4C) 17. A linear or segmental distribution increases the level of suspicion for calcifications with suspicious morphologies."
"A combination of several suspicious descriptors/findings can be highly suggestive of malignancy (BI-RADS 5), a category which is used if a nonmalignant percutaneous biopsy result would be discordant and prompt a repeat biopsy (usually surgical)."
Expected headings
"Typically benign calcifications"
"Suspicious morphology of calcifications"
"Distribution"
"skin: lucent centred, usually tightly grouped, and can be localised on tangential views if the appearance is atypical; formed within the dermis/epidermis"
"vascular: parallel tram tracks or discontinuous linear appearance at the margins of a tubular structure; formed in blood vessel walls"
"coarse or "popcorn-like": large (>2-3 mm), sometimes confluent or associated with a circumscribed mass; formed in involuting fibroadenomas"
"large rod-like: large tubules in a radiating and sometimes branching distribution orientated towards the nipple; with the largest in a breast measuring mean 4 mm long and 0.6 mm wide, usually bilateral, usually intraductal but sometimes periductal, usually in older women (>60 years) 18; formed within ductal ectasia"
"large rod-like: large tubules in a radiating and sometimes branching distribution orientated towards the nipple; with the largest in a breast measuring mean 4 mm long and 0.6 mm wide, usually bilateral, usually intraductal but sometimes periductal, usually in older women (>60 years) 18; formed within ductal ectasia"
"round, including punctate: circular, usually"
"rim: "eggshell", lucent centred; formed in the walls of oil cysts (fat necrosis) or simple cysts"
"dystrophic: irregular, usually >1 mm; formed after radiation, trauma, or surgery"
"milk of calcium: "tea cups" curvilinear or linear level on the 90° lateral (ML/LM) view but a smudge on the CC view; formed as sediment within cysts"
"suture: linear or tubular calcifications; formed on loops and knots of surgical sutures"
"diffuse: scattered randomly throughout the breast; almost always benign"
"regional: scattered in a larger volume (>2 cm in greatest linear dimension) of breast tissue and not in the expected ductal distribution; malignancy is less likely but the overall evaluation also depends on the morphology"
"grouped: a cluster of at least 5 calcifications within 1 cm from each other, in an area at most 2 cm in greatest linear dimension; more likely to be malignant with smaller calcific particle sizes ("
"linear: calcifications arrayed in a line suggestive of deposition along ducts; suspicious if there is not a characteristically benign appearance such as vascular or large rod-like calcifications)"
"segmental: calcium deposits in ducts and branches of a segment or lobe; suspicious if not characteristically benign such as large rod-like"
"fine linear or fine-linear branching: thin ("