Parametrization of mammography normalized average glandular dose tables

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiological Imaging
• Radiation Dosimetry

Background:

• Mammography utilizes X-rays to image breast tissue, requiring accurate dose assessment for patient safety.
• Existing normalized glandular dose data is often presented in tables, limiting direct calculation for specific parameters.
• Variations in breast composition and X-ray beam quality significantly influence radiation dose.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate analytical expressions for normalized glandular dose in mammography.
• To provide a method for calculating dose across a range of breast compositions and X-ray parameters.
• To improve the accuracy and accessibility of mammography dose data.

Main Methods:

• Parametrization of existing normalized glandular dose data from mammography tables.
• Development of analytical expressions for three target/filter combinations (Mo/Mo, Mo/Rh, Rh/Rh).
• Validation against data for three breast compositions (100% adipose, 50% adipose-50% glandular, 100% glandular).

Main Results:

• Analytical expressions were derived that closely match tabulated normalized glandular dose data.
• The maximum difference between parametrized and tabulated data was 1.29%, below the 2% uncertainty of the tables.
• The expressions are valid for specified ranges of kVp, half-value layer, and breast thickness.

Conclusions:

• Parametrized analytical expressions offer a reliable and accurate method for calculating normalized glandular dose in mammography.
• These expressions facilitate custom function development for simplified dose estimation.
• The findings enhance the utility of mammography dose data for research and clinical applications.