Experimental evaluation of the image quality and dose in digital mammography: Influence of x-ray spectrum

摘要

In this work, we studied experimentally the influence of x-ray spectrum on the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and the average glandular dose (MDG) for two digital mammography systems: Senographe 2000D (GE Medical Systems) and Lorad Selenia (Hologic), with indirect and direct detector imaging technology, respectively. CNR and MGD were determined using PMMA phantoms simulating breasts with thicknesses of 4 cm and 6 cm. All available anode/filter combinations of the systems were evaluated for a wide range of tube voltages values. Results indicated that the Rh/Rh combination provides the highest image quality with the lower mean glandular dose for the Senographe 2000D system. For the Lorad Selenia system, the W/Ag combination at 30 kV showed the best performance, in terms of dose saving and image quality improvement in relation to all tube voltage range. The comparison between the optimal x-ray spectra and those selected by the AEC mode showed that this automatic selection mechanism could be readjusted to optimize the relationship between image quality and dose. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.