Cynthia Elizabeth Landberg

Full breast digital mammography with an amorphous silicon‐based flat panel detector: Physical characteristics of a clinical prototype

The physical characteristics of a clinical prototype amorphous silicon-based flat panel imager for full-breast digital mammography have been investigated. The imager employs a thin thallium doped CsI scintillator on an amorphous silicon matrix of detector elements with a pixel pitch of 100 microm. Objective criteria such as modulation transfer function (MTF), noise power spectrum, detective quantum efficiency (DQE), and noise equivalent quanta were employed for this evaluation. The presampling MTF was found to be 0.73, 0.42, and 0.28 at 2, 4, and 5 cycles/mm, respectively. The measured DQE of the current prototype utilizing a 28 kVp, Mo-Mo spectrum beam hardened with 4.5 cm Lucite is approximately 55% at close to zero spatial frequency at an exposure of 32.8 mR, and decreases to approximately 40% at a low exposure of 1.3 mR. Detector element nonuniformity and electronic gain variations were not significant after appropriate calibration and software corrections. The response of the imager was linear and did not exhibit signal saturation under tested exposure conditions.

Combination of digital mammography with semi-automated 3D breast ultrasound

This paper describes work aimed at combining 3D ultrasound with full-field digital mammography via a semi-automatic prototype ultrasound scanning mechanism attached to the digital mammography system gantry. Initial efforts to obtain high x-ray and ultrasound image quality through a compression paddle are proving successful. Registration between the x-ray mammogram and ultrasound image volumes is quite promising when the breast is stably compressed. This prototype system takes advantage of many synergies between the co-registered digital mammography and pulse-echo ultrasound image data used for breast cancer detection and diagnosis. In addition, innovative combinations of advanced US and X-ray applications are being implemented and tested along with the basic modes. The basic and advanced applications are those that should provide relatively independent information about the breast tissues. Advanced applications include x-ray tomosynthesis, for 3D delineation of mammographic structures, and non-linear elasticity and 3D color flow imaging by ultrasound, for mechanical and physiological information unavailable from conventional, non-contrast x-ray and ultrasound imaging.

High-speed large-angle mammography tomosynthesis system

A new mammography tomosynthesis prototype system that acquires 21 projection images over a 60 degree angular range in approximately 8 seconds has been developed and characterized. Fast imaging sequences are facilitated by a high power tube and generator for faster delivery of the x-ray exposure and a high speed detector read-out. An enhanced a-Si/CsI flat panel digital detector provides greater DQE at low exposure, enabling tomo image sequence acquisitions at total patient dose levels between 150% and 200% of the dose of a standard mammographic view. For clinical scenarios where a single MLO tomographic acquisition per breast may replace the standard CC and MLO views, total tomosynthesis breast dose is comparable to or below the dose in standard mammography. The system supports co-registered acquisition of x-ray tomosynthesis and 3-D ultrasound data sets by incorporating an ultrasound transducer scanning system that flips into position above the compression paddle for the ultrasound exam. Initial images acquired with the system are presented.

Experimental and theoretical spectral optimization for digital mammography

The detection characteristics of digital x-ray and film-screen mammography systems are different and thus current film-screen techniques are not ideal for digital mammography. Therefore optimum technical parameters required for digital mammography are likely to be different compared with film-screen mammography. The goal of this study is to evaluate the optimum technical parameters for full-field digital mammography by experimental and computer simulation methods. A General Electric Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) prototype unit using Cesium Iodide (CsI) on an amorphous Silicon photodiode array was used for the experimental measurements. Using breast equivalent phantoms, images were acquired for a set of x-ray target-filters for a range of peak kilovoltage, varying breast composition and thickness, with and without an anti-scatter grid. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and figure-of-merit (FOM) were determined for simulated calcification and mass targets, independently by the two methods. The results for noise, contrast, SNR and FOM were compared and agree within 5% and 6% respectively. Combined results are presented for the case of 50% glandular - 50% adipose tissue breast composition using the grid and for the calcification target. Based on the FOM approach, preliminary results suggest that a Rhodium target-filter combination will be beneficial for higher breast thickness and for denser breasts.

Digital Breast Tomosynthesis: Potentially a New Method for Breast Cancer Screening

Despite recent advances in mammography imaging, it has been shown that many cancers are missed by mammography [1–4]. One of the main reasons cancers are missed is that they are masked by radiographically dense fibroglandular breast tissue which may be overlying or encompassing the cancer [5–11]. Standard mammography techniques, either analog (film) or digital, suffer from the limitation that despite breast compression, three-dimensional anatomical information is projected onto a two-dimensional detector. Tomosynthesis is a technique that allows the radiologist to view individual planes of the breast, potentially reducing the problem of superimposed structures which may limit conventional mammography techniques.

3D Visualization of X-ray Tomosynthesis Digital Mammography Data: Preference Study

A 3D visualization preference study was conducted on digital mammography tomosynthesis datasets. Two volume rendering [VR] techniques were used in the preference study, the Maximum Intensity Projection [MIP] and the Composite Ray Casting [CRC]. These techniques were presented side by side to experts in the field of digital mammography on dual high resolution monitors. The two techniques were presented using each of three different modes, the thick slice VR, tumbling along the azimuth direction, and tumbling along the elevation direction. Several phantoms and mastectomy specimens were imaged and reconstructed for this study. The experts ranked MIP higher than CRC, and tumbling along the elevation direction was selected as the best mode. In addition, the experts indicated that the MIP technique is better in displaying microcalcifications, and the CRC technique is better in showing masses.