DICOM Metadata Quality Analysis for Mammography Radiation Exposure Characterization

The usage of ionizing radiation on human tissues for medical purposes has been object of regular analyses using Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) metadata. Particularly, the DICOM metadata related to mammographic studies has been used to support the monitoring of individual and population exposure. The objective of this work was to analyze the quality of DICOM metadata to characterize radiation exposure in mammographic studies performed during the first year of activity of a mammography equipment. Although DICOM metadata allow to characterize the radiation dose in mammographic studies, the results show that it is pertinent to effectively improve the quality of the stored metadata.