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Short communication: A printed image quality test phantom for mammography
1Regional Medical Physics Department, Newcastle General Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE, UK.
The British Journal of Radiology
|July 28, 2005
Summary
A new, low-cost mammographic phantom using LaserJet-printed test features was developed for weekly quality assurance in breast screening. This design provides comparable performance to expensive phantoms for routine mammography checks.
Area of Science:
- Medical Imaging
- Radiology
- Quality Assurance
Background:
- Mammographic image quality is crucial for accurate breast cancer detection.
- Existing contrast-detail phantoms can be expensive and complex.
- Routine quality assurance (QA) is essential for mammography equipment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel, cost-effective mammographic image quality test phantom.
- To create a phantom suitable for weekly QA by radiographers.
- To assess the performance of a phantom based on readily available printing technology.
Main Methods:
- Designed a phantom using superimposed Mylar sheets with test features printed via a standard LaserJet printer.
- Incorporated iron oxide (Fe(3)O(4)) in toner to achieve required radiation contrast at mammographic energies.
- Constructed approximately 40 phantoms for practical application.
Main Results:
- The novel phantom design was successfully implemented for weekly QA in breast screening and symptomatic mammography.
- The phantom demonstrated performance comparable to more expensive contrast-detail phantoms.
- The design proved to be easily replicable and has been used successfully for 5 years.
Conclusions:
- A cost-effective and easily replicable mammographic phantom for image quality assessment has been developed.
- This phantom serves as a viable tool for routine weekly quality assurance in mammography.
- The primary limitation is the inability to produce high-contrast resolution bar patterns with standard printing methods.