Selection of technique factors for contrast digital mammography

Although screen-film mammography is the current standard for detecting abnormalities in the breast, the sensitivity can range from 40-95 percent. One of the reasons this occurs is because surrounding dense tissues obscure the visualization of cancers. To address this issue, we are investigating contrast digital mammography (CDM), which involves imaging the uptake of a non-ionic iodinated contrast agent with full-field digital mammography to detect and characterize masses in the breast. The technical aspects, including spectral optimization and image processing, for the implementation of CDM have been investigated and a clinical trial is being carried out to study the technique. This article describes an experimental study using an iodine detail phantom in combination with various breast equivalent plastics to evaluate technique parameters used when imaging patients. It is desirable to find the technique parameters that will maximize iodine contrast while delivering a reasonably low dose to the patient. It was found that the contrast can be increased up to 53 percent for thinner breasts by increasing the dose to a level that still remains lower than the dose that would be received by the breast from conventional screening images.