Mammographic artifacts on full-field digital mammography

This study investigates the incidence of full-field digital mammographic (FFDM) artifacts with three systems at two institutions and compares the artifacts between two detector types and two grid types. A total of 4,440 direct and 4,142 indirect FFDM images were reviewed by two radiologists, and artifacts were classified as patient related, hardware related, and software processing. The overall incidence of FFDM artifacts was 3.4% (292/8,582). Patient related artifacts (motion artifacts and skin line artifacts) were the most commonly detected types (1.7%). Underexposure among hardware related artifacts and high-density artifacts among software processing artifacts also were common (0.7 and 0.5%, respectively). These artifacts, specific to digital mammography, were more common with the direct detector type and the crossed air grid type than with the indirect type and linear grid type (p < 0.05). The most common mammographic artifacts on FFDM were patient related, which might be controlled by the instruction of a patient and technologist. Underexposure and high-density artifacts were more common with direct detector and crossed air type of grid.