Evaluation of image quality in Computed Radiography based Mammography Systems

摘要

Mammography is the most widely accepted procedure for the early detection of breast cancer and Computed Radiography (CR) is a cost-effective technology for digital mammography. We have demonstrated that CR mammography image quality is viable for Digital Mammography. The image quality of mammograms acquired using Computed Radiography technology was evaluated using the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) and Detective Quantum Efficiency (DQE). The measurements were made using a 28 kVp beam (RQA M-II) using 2 mm of Al as a filter and a target/filter combination of Mo/Mo. The acquired image bit depth was 16 bits and the pixel pitch for scanning was 50 microns. A Step-Wedge phantom (to measure the Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)) and the CDMAM 3.4 Contrast Detail phantom were also used to assess the image quality. The CNR values were observed at varying thickness of PMMA. The CDMAM 3.4 phantom results were plotted and compared to the EUREF acceptable and achievable values. The effect on image quality was measured using the physics metrics. A lower DQE was observed even with a higher MTF. This could be possibly due to a higher noise component present due to the way the scanner was configured. The CDMAM phantom scores demonstrated a contrast-detail comparable to the EUREF values. A cost-effective CR machine was optimized for high-resolution and high-contrast imaging.