Configuration of automatic exposure control on mammography units for computed radiography to match patient dose of screen film systems

Chang-Ying Joseph Yang; Weidong Huang

doi:10.1117/12.813084

14 March 2009 Configuration of automatic exposure control on mammography units for computed radiography to match patient dose of screen film systems

Chang-Ying Joseph Yang, Weidong Huang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 7258, Medical Imaging 2009: Physics of Medical Imaging; 72585S (2009) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.813084
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2009, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando Area), Florida, United States

Abstract

Computed radiography (CR) is considered a drop-in addition or replacement for traditional screen-film (SF) systems in digital mammography. Unlike other technologies, CR has the advantage of being compatible with existing mammography units. One of the challenges, however, is to properly configure the automatic exposure control (AEC) on existing mammography units for CR use. Unlike analogue systems, the capture and display of digital CR images is decoupled. The function of AEC is changed from ensuring proper and consistent optical density of the captured image on film to balancing image quality with patient dose needed for CR. One of the preferences when acquiring CR images under AEC is to use the same patient dose as SF systems. The challenge is whether the existing AEC design and calibration process-most of them proprietary from the X-ray systems manufacturers and tailored specifically for SF response properties-can be adapted for CR cassettes, in order to compensate for their response and attenuation differences. This paper describes the methods for configuring the AEC of three different mammography units models to match the patient dose used for CR with those that are used for a KODAK MIN-R 2000 SF System. Based on phantom test results, these methods provide the dose level under AEC for the CR systems to match with the dose of SF systems. These methods can be used in clinical environments that require the acquisition of CR images under AEC at the same dose levels as those used for SF systems.

Citation Download Citation

Chang-Ying Joseph Yang and Weidong Huang "Configuration of automatic exposure control on mammography units for computed radiography to match patient dose of screen film systems", Proc. SPIE 7258, Medical Imaging 2009: Physics of Medical Imaging, 72585S (14 March 2009); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.813084

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