[Studies on image quality in mammography using a tungsten anode tube in conjunction with edge filters]

At present, mammography is usually performed using a molybdenum anode tube and a molybdenum filter. Theoretical considerations and experiments suggest that radiation from a tungsten anode and a filter with a K-edge in the region of 20 to 25 keV is better adapted to the size of the object to be examined than radiation from a molybdenum anode/molybdenum filter combination. As a result, a reduction in radiation exposure is possible for thicker objects. Comparison of image quality with various film-screen combinations has shown that the differences caused by the radiation from the tungsten anode and filter has less effect on the image quality than is due to variation in kV, object thickness and image receptor. It has further been shown that recognition of microcalcifications is limited to about 200 micron.