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Title: Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector

Abstract

Purpose: Spectral imaging is a method in medical x-ray imaging to extract information about the object constituents by the material-specific energy dependence of x-ray attenuation. The authors have investigated a photon-counting spectral imaging system with two energy bins for contrast-enhanced mammography. System optimization and the potential benefit compared to conventional non-energy-resolved absorption imaging was studied. Methods: A framework for system characterization was set up that included quantum and anatomical noise and a theoretical model of the system was benchmarked to phantom measurements. Results: Optimal combination of the energy-resolved images corresponded approximately to minimization of the anatomical noise, which is commonly referred to as energy subtraction. In that case, an ideal-observer detectability index could be improved close to 50% compared to absorption imaging in the phantom study. Optimization with respect to the signal-to-quantum-noise ratio, commonly referred to as energy weighting, yielded only a minute improvement. In a simulation of a clinically more realistic case, spectral imaging was predicted to perform approximately 30% better than absorption imaging for an average glandularity breast with an average level of anatomical noise. For dense breast tissue and a high level of anatomical noise, however, a rise in detectability by a factor of 6 was predicted.more » Another {approx}70%-90% improvement was found to be within reach for an optimized system. Conclusions: Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography is feasible and beneficial with the current system, and there is room for additional improvements. Inclusion of anatomical noise is essential for optimizing spectral imaging systems.« less

Authors:
; ; ; ;  [1]
  1. Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22096686
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 37; Journal Issue: 5; Other Information: (c) 2010 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; 62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; BIOMEDICAL RADIOGRAPHY; CONTRAST MEDIA; ENERGY DEPENDENCE; MAMMARY GLANDS; MINIMIZATION; NOISE; PHANTOMS; PHOTONS; SIGNALS; SIMULATION; X RADIATION; X-RAY DETECTION

Citation Formats

Fredenberg, Erik, Hemmendorff, Magnus, Cederstroem, Bjoern, Aaslund, Magnus, Danielsson, Mats, Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, and Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.1118/1.3371689.
Fredenberg, Erik, Hemmendorff, Magnus, Cederstroem, Bjoern, Aaslund, Magnus, Danielsson, Mats, Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, & Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm. Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.3371689
Fredenberg, Erik, Hemmendorff, Magnus, Cederstroem, Bjoern, Aaslund, Magnus, Danielsson, Mats, Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna, and Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm. 2010. "Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.3371689.
@article{osti_22096686,
title = {Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography with a photon-counting detector},
author = {Fredenberg, Erik and Hemmendorff, Magnus and Cederstroem, Bjoern and Aaslund, Magnus and Danielsson, Mats and Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna and Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm and Sectra Mamea AB, Smidesvaegen 5, SE-171 41 Solna and Department of Physics, Royal Institute of Technology, AlbaNova, SE-106 91 Stockholm},
abstractNote = {Purpose: Spectral imaging is a method in medical x-ray imaging to extract information about the object constituents by the material-specific energy dependence of x-ray attenuation. The authors have investigated a photon-counting spectral imaging system with two energy bins for contrast-enhanced mammography. System optimization and the potential benefit compared to conventional non-energy-resolved absorption imaging was studied. Methods: A framework for system characterization was set up that included quantum and anatomical noise and a theoretical model of the system was benchmarked to phantom measurements. Results: Optimal combination of the energy-resolved images corresponded approximately to minimization of the anatomical noise, which is commonly referred to as energy subtraction. In that case, an ideal-observer detectability index could be improved close to 50% compared to absorption imaging in the phantom study. Optimization with respect to the signal-to-quantum-noise ratio, commonly referred to as energy weighting, yielded only a minute improvement. In a simulation of a clinically more realistic case, spectral imaging was predicted to perform approximately 30% better than absorption imaging for an average glandularity breast with an average level of anatomical noise. For dense breast tissue and a high level of anatomical noise, however, a rise in detectability by a factor of 6 was predicted. Another {approx}70%-90% improvement was found to be within reach for an optimized system. Conclusions: Contrast-enhanced spectral mammography is feasible and beneficial with the current system, and there is room for additional improvements. Inclusion of anatomical noise is essential for optimizing spectral imaging systems.},
doi = {10.1118/1.3371689},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22096686}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 5,
volume = 37,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010},
month = {Sat May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2010}
}