Effects of image lag and scatter for dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital breast tomosynthesis using a CsI flat-panel based system

摘要

Dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital breast tomosynthesis (CE-DBT) using an iodinated contrast agent is an imaging technique providing 3D functional images of breast lesion vascularity and tissue perfusion. The iodine uptake in the breast is very small and causes only small changes in x-ray transmission; typically less than 5%. This presents significant technical challenges on the imaging system performance. The purpose of this paper was to characterize image lag and scattered radiation and their effects on image quality for dual-energy CE-DBT using a CsI(T1) phosphor-based detector. Lag was tested using typical clinical acquisition sequences and exposure parameters and under various detector read-out modes. The performance of a prototype anti-scatter grid and its potential benefit on the magnitude and range of the cupping artifact were investigated. Analyses were performed through phantom experiments. Our results illustrate that the magnitude of image lag is negligible and breast texture cancelation is almost perfect when the detector is read out several times between x-ray exposures. The anti-scatter grid effectively reduces scatter and the cupping artifact.