ABSTRACT
The chief benefit of contrast-enhanced breast MRI over other imaging techniques is its sensitivity for diagnosing breast carcinoma, which (particularly in the dense breast) probably exceeds mammography and ultrasound. The key to the use of this benefit is the understanding of the MRI features of benign breast disease, including an appreciation of the extent to which the latter can be discriminated reliably from cancer. The objective of this chapter is to describe the important MRI features of a range of benign pathologies within the breast. Prior to discussing individual pathologies, an overview of breast MRI in relation to differentiating benign and malignant disease within the breast will be given. The issue of differentiating benign disease from malignant tissue is also central to the next chapter (Chapter 10: ‘Primary breast cancer’) and so there will inevitably be some duplication of information. This is minimized as far as possible.
