[Recommendations for a QA program for digital mammography].
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Humans↗
Biomedical subjects
F R Verdun
Publications and source records attributed to F R Verdun.
Objective comparison of image quality and dose between conventional and synchrotron radiation mammography.
The shape of the energy spectrum produced by an x-ray tube has a great importance in mammography. Many anode-filtration combinations have been proposed to obtain the most effective spectrum shape for the image quality-dose relationship. On the other hand, third generation synchrotrons such as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble are able to produce a high flux of monoenergetic radiation. It is thus a powerful tool to study the effect of beam energy on image quality and dose in mammography. An objective method was used to evaluate image quality and dose in mammography with synchrotron radiation and to compare them to standard conventional units. It was performed systematically in the energy range of interest for mammography through the evaluation of a global image quality index and through the measurement of the mean glandular dose. Compared to conventional mammography units, synchrotron radiation shows a great improvement of the image quality-dose relationship, which is due to the beam monochromaticity and to the high intrinsic collimation of the beam, which allows the use of a slit instead of an anti-scatter grid for scatter rejection.
Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗
A real-time flat-panel X-ray pixel imaging system for low-dose medical diagnostics and craniofacial applications.
The aim of this study was to evaluate on-line performance of a real-time digital imaging system based on amorphous silicon technology and to compare it with conventional film-screen equipment. The digital detecting imager consists of (1) a converter, which transforms the energy of the incident X rays into light; (2) a real-time digital detecting system, capable of producing as many as 10 pictures per second using a large-area pixel matrix (20 x 20 cm2) based on solid-state amorphous silicon sensor technology with a pitch of 400 microns; and (3) appropriate computer tools for control, real-time image treatment, data representation, and off-line analysis. Different phantoms were used for qualitative comparison with the conventional film-screen technique, with images obtained with both systems at the normal dose (used as a reference), as well as with dose reduction by a factor of 10 to 100. Basic image quality parameters evaluated showed that the response of the detector is linear in a wide range of entrance air kerma; the dynamic range is higher compared with the conventional film-screen combination; the spatial resolution is 1.25 lp per millimeter, as expected from the pixel size; and good image quality is ensured at doses substantially lower than for the film-screen technique. The flat-panel X-ray imager based on amorphous silicon technology implemented in standard radiographic equipment permits acquisition of real-time images in radiology (as many as 10 images per second) of diagnostic quality with a marked reduction of dose (as much as 100 times) and better contrast compared with the standard film technique. Preliminary results obtained with a 100-micron pitch imager based on the same technology show better quality but a less substantial dose reduction. Applications in craniofacial surgery look promising.
Analog-Digital Conversion↗
Radiation doses delivered to radiologists during contrast-enhanced helical-CT examinations.
This work monitors the radiation doses to a radiologist during supervision of automatic contrast media injections during helical-CT examinations of the chest and abdomen. Forty consecutive standard helical-CT examinations of adult's chest and/or abdomen were monitored with five dosimeters worn by the radiologist supervising the entire injection with the hand on the injection site. Mean doses per examination measured at chest, thyroid gland, and hand levels were 11, 16, and 130 microGy, respectively, during chest examinations, and 5, 7, and 55 microGy during abdominal examinations. According to the high number of CT examinations performed, wearing lead apron, special lead glove protection, and thyroid shield is highly recommended.
Adult↗
Estimation of the noisy component of anatomical backgrounds.
The knowledge of the relationship that links radiation dose and image quality is a prerequisite to any optimization of medical diagnostic radiology. Image quality depends, on the one hand, on the physical parameters such as contrast, resolution, and noise, and on the other hand, on characteristics of the observer that assesses the image. While the role of contrast and resolution is precisely defined and recognized, the influence of image noise is not yet fully understood. Its measurement is often based on imaging uniform test objects, even though real images contain anatomical backgrounds whose statistical nature is much different from test objects used to assess system noise. The goal of this study was to demonstrate the importance of variations in background anatomy by quantifying its effect on a series of detection tasks. Several types of mammographic backgrounds and signals were examined by psychophysical experiments in a two-alternative forced-choice detection task. According to hypotheses concerning the strategy used by the human observers, their signal to noise ratio was determined. This variable was also computed for a mathematical model based on the statistical decision theory. By comparing theoretical model and experimental results, the way that anatomical structure is perceived has been analyzed. Experiments showed that the observer's behavior was highly dependent upon both system noise and the anatomical background. The anatomy partly acts as a signal recognizable as such and partly as a pure noise that disturbs the detection process. This dual nature of the anatomy is quantified. It is shown that its effect varies according to its amplitude and the profile of the object being detected. The importance of the noisy part of the anatomy is, in some situations, much greater than the system noise. Hence, reducing the system noise by increasing the dose will not improve task performance. This observation indicates that the tradeoff between dose and image quality might be optimized by accepting a higher system noise. This could lead to a better resolution, more contrast, or less dose.
Biophysics↗
Image quality and dose in spiral computed tomography.
Image quality and dose produced by a spiral CT with various pitch values were investigated on the basis of test-object images and measurements of CT dose indexes. No major difference in image quality or dose was observed when comparing sequential and spiral mode acquisition with a pitch of one. Increase in pitch value produces a loss of contrast which leads to a loss of detectability. Nevertheless, in realistic protocols the image quality in the transverse plane remains acceptable up to pitch values of 1.3-1.6.
Artifacts↗
Survey on image quality and dose levels used in Europe for mammography.
Quality assurance programmes are becoming a common practice in the field of mammography. At the present time several recommendations exist and different test objects are used to optimize this radiological procedure. The goal of this study was to check if geographically distant centres using different quality control procedures were comparable when using a common objective way of assessing image quality. The results show that consensus still needs to be found among radiologists to reach a satisfactory level of harmony between patient doses and image quality in Europe.
Europe↗
Assessment of MR image deformation for stereotactic neurosurgery using a tagging sequence.
A tagging sequence is used to assess MR image deformations before a stereotactic neurosurgical procedure, in a test model and in two patients. This pulse sequence super-imposes narrow parallel orthogonal tag lines on an image, which can be used as an internal reference frame. Image deformation is directly related to surface area variations in the squares produced by the tagging-sequence pulses. Small spatial deformations of the tags can be detected on the images used for measuring stereotactic-target spatial coordinates. A threshold of 2 SD guarantees that the distortion is smaller than one pixel.
Biopsy↗
Using 80 kVp versus 120 kVp in perfusion CT measurement of regional cerebral blood flow.
Perfusion CT studies of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF), involving sequential acquisition of cerebral CT sections during IV contrast material administration, have classically been reported to be achieved at 120 kVp. We hypothesized that using 80 kVp should result in the same image quality while significantly lowering the patient's radiation dose, and we evaluated this assumption. In five patients undergoing cerebral CT survey, one section level was imaged at 120 kVp and 80 kVp, before and after IV administration of iodinated contrast material. These four cerebral CT sections obtained in each patient were analyzed with special interest to contrast, noise, and radiation dose. Contrast enhancement at 80 kVp is significantly increased (P < .001), as well as contrast between gray matter and white matter after contrast enhancement (P < .001). Mean noise at 80 kVp is not statistically different (P = .042). Finally, performance of perfusion CT studies at 80 kVp, keeping mAs constant, lowers the radiation dose by a factor of 2.8. We, thus, conclude that 80 kVp acquisition of perfusion CT studies of rCBF will result in increased contrast enhancement and should improve rCBF analysis, with a reduced patient's irradiation.
Brain↗