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

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited 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 Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Nishino, T. K. Articles by Johnson, R. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Nishino, T. K. Articles by Johnson, R. F., Jr. Social Bookmarking                      What's this?

Thickness of Molybdenum Filter and Squared Contrast-to-Noise Ratio per Dose for Digital Mammography

¹ Department of Radiology, University of Texas Medical Branch, 2.448 Clinical Sciences Bldg., 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555-0709.
² Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL.

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to test whether the lesion-tissue contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) at a given dose level can be improved by increasing the thickness of the molybdenum (Mo) filter currently used in digital mammography.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. We studied how the CNR between breast and a 5-mm simulated infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) embedded in a 5-cm-thick breast changes with Mo filter thickness. We performed phantom imaging experiments by modifying the filter wheel of a Senographe 2000D unit with Mo filters that ranged from 15 to 90 µm in thickness. A 5-cm-thick 50% glandular-50% adipose breast phantom with a 5-mm insert simulating IDC was used as the phantom for all the cases. The CNRs between the breast phantom and the IDC insert were measured, and average glandular doses were calculated using a filtration-dependent X-ray spectra model and a breast dosimetry model based on a validated Monte Carlo simulation.

RESULTS. The lesion-tissue CNR at a given dose level increases with increasing Mo filter thickness from 15 to 90 µm. The measured squared CNR per dose increased by 8%, 14%, 17%, and 17% for 45-, 60-, 75-, and 90-µm Mo filters, respectively, compared with the standard 30-µm Mo filter. Meanwhile, the exposure times were increased by 35% (45 µm), 71% (60 µm), 177% (75 µm), and 229% (90 µm).

CONCLUSION. Increasing Mo filter thickness from 30 to 60 µm can increase lesion-tissue squared CNR per dose by 14% with a tolerable increase in the duration of exposure.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?