Incomplete skin representation in digital mammograms

Flat-panel digital detector systems have limited dynamic range and saturate at a particular x-ray exposure. Hence some of the breast edge may not be represented in the displayed image. We developed a model to estimate the amount of skin loss. Model predictions agreed well with phantom measurements. In our database of 884 clinical digital mammograms, 98% had saturated backgrounds. The estimated skin loss exceeded 0.5 mm in 5% of images and 1.0 mm in 0.7% of images. Any skin thickening that is present should still be visualized, so we conclude that any skin-line loss may not be of clinical significance.