Average glandular dose and phantom image quality in mammography

Efetividade de programa de controle de qualidade em mamografia para o Sistema Único de Saúde

“…3,11,12 The solution of non-compliance cases for fi lm processing is not simple, involving from the change of equipment to the adoption of standardized processes for the preparation of certifi ed solutions. The result obtained in this study showed that the percentage of compliance of fi lm processing remained almost unchanged, and around 40% during the three years of research, which is similar to that found in the study carried out in Minas Gerais 13 (38.8%). About 31% of the fi lm processors were not specifi c for mammography, which may have contributed to the relatively low percentage of compliance in fi lm processing.…”

“…However, some mammography units were left unadjusted in relation to the breast compression force (22.9%), AEC system (31.4%) and alignment of the compression paddle and integrity of the cassete (14.3%). In a study carried out in Minas Gerais 13 , the percentage of mammography units unadjusted for the compression force was 23.9%, whereas 37.3% were unadjusted for the AEC system. The results obtained in both studies coincide and point to a situation in which it is not possible to make adjustments in these performance parameters for some mammography units.…”

“…In this study, upon acceptance of variation of ± 30%, 80% of services showed values of 7 to 13 mGy, averaging 8.94 mGy and comparable to the results of the Minas Gerais research. 13 A study conducted in the Republic of Macedonia showed that 50% of mammography units lacked basic quality criteria for the screening of breast cancer, in 2008-2009. 7 In an opportunistic screening performed by the SUS in 2008 4 , in the state of Goiás, 62.9% services had quality standards of not acceptable compliance (< 70%), whereas 28.6% were considered acceptable (70% < 90%) and 8.6% were rated as desirable (> 90%).…”

Practitioner compression force variation in mammography: A 6-year study

“…Studies [14][15][16][17][18] have suggested varying thresholds of compression force for pain tolerances varying from 9daN through to 16daN. As such, consistency of optimal compression force applied over time could be paramount in the maintenance of client experience.…”

Validação de um programa semiautomática para a avaliação de microcalcificações em um phantom de mama

“…This last plate contains a 5 x 70 x 140 mm³ inserted wax and a step wedge that produces five optical densities used to assess image contrast. In the inserted wax are embedded the following structures: four metal grids of 4, 6, 8 and 12 lp/mm (G1 to G4) to evaluate spatial resolution; five groups of Al2O3 specks of 0.45, 0.35, 0.30, 0.25 and 0.18 mm diameter (m1 to m5) to simulate microcalcifications; eight polyester discs of 6 mm diameter with thickness ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 mm (D1 to D8) to simulate low contrast areas; six nylon fibers of 1 cm length and 1.4, 1.2, 0.8, 0.7, 0.6 and 0.4 mm diameters (F1 to F6) to simulate fibrils; and five nylon spherical caps of 2.00, 1.5, 1.0, 0.75 and 0.50 mm heights (M1 to M5) to simulate tumor-like masses [11]. A schematic diagram of the BCR breast phantom is showed in Figure 1.…”