Improved mammography with a reduced radiation dose

A 2-cm-high focused air-interspaced grid with a 7:1 ratio and eight lamellae per inch was devised. The grid is arc-shaped and pivots on its focal point, the anode-cathode axis. Milliamperage was 35% less for breast phantom radiographs obtained with the new grid versus those obtained with a conventional 5:1 mammographic grid. In a comparison study of five mammograms, each evaluated for five parameters, the images obtained with the new grid were judged to be of equal or better quality than those obtained with a conventional grid in 17 of 20 comparisons.