[Phase contrast imaging of the breast. Basic principles and steps towards clinical implementation]

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in women worldwide.

Mammography is the only imaging technique approved for nationwide breast cancer screening. Digital full field mammography has improved mammographic image quality. Nevertheless, mammography has a low positive predictive value and a low sensitivity especially in mammographically dense breasts. One of the major limitations is the inherently low contrast between healthy breast parenchyma and breast cancer.

Phase contrast imaging is based on the phase shift that occurs when X-rays encounter a change in refractive index between different materials.

The improved soft tissue contrast makes the technology particularly promising for breast diagnostics.

The studies presented here suggest that phase contrast imaging provides additional diagnostic information both using phase contrast mammography and phase contrast computed tomography (CT).

This paper provides an overview of the basic principles of the phase contrast imaging and describes recent developments towards in vivo and ex vivo phase contrast imaging of the breast.