Digital breast tomosynthesis: Dose and image quality assessment.

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Radiology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) is an advancement over 2D mammography.
• Understanding system performance is crucial for optimizing breast cancer detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To physically characterize and compare the performance of four leading DBT systems.
• To evaluate the impact of acquisition geometries and reconstruction parameters on DBT image quality and radiation dose.

Main Methods:

• Four DBT systems (GE, Siemens, Hologic, Fujifilm) were evaluated using physical metrics.
• Key parameters assessed included Average Glandular Dose (AGD), in-plane/in-depth resolution, Signal Difference to Noise Ratio (SDNR), and Artefact Spread Function (ASF).

Main Results:

• All systems had AGD below EUREF limits for 2D imaging, with DBT/2D dose ratios ranging from 1.1 to 1.9.
• In-plane resolution varied, with worse performance in the tube travel direction for all systems.
• In-depth resolution improved with scan angle but was influenced by reconstruction algorithms; Siemens and GE showed superior z-resolution compared to Fujifilm.
• Artefact Spread Function (ASF) showed system-dependent variations, not solely correlated with scan angle due to differing algorithms.
• SDNR analysis indicated pixel binning enhances detectability at a fixed dose.

Conclusions:

• Significant performance differences exist among the evaluated DBT systems.
• Acquisition geometry and reconstruction parameters critically influence DBT image quality and dose efficiency.
• This comparative analysis provides valuable insights for selecting and optimizing DBT systems in clinical practice.