Toward Clinically Compatible Phase-Contrast Mammography

Scherer, Kai

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39537-1_7

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…These results have motivated the transfer of the GI technology to the clinics [11][12][13], which constitutes an engineering challenge. This task requires the adaptation of the method to cover a large field-of-view (FOV) within a limited exposure time, deliver a clinically acceptable dose [14], fulfill the ergonomic requirements, avoid increasing patient discomfort, and, most importantly, yield a higher diagnostic performance [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards clinical grating-interferometry mammography

et al. 2019

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Objectives Grating-interferometry-based mammography (GIM) might facilitate breast cancer detection, as several research works have demonstrated in a pre-clinical setting, since it is able to provide attenuation, differential phase contrast, and scattering images simultaneously. In order to translate this technique to the clinics, it has to be adapted to cover a large field-of-view within a clinically acceptable exposure time and radiation dose. Methods We set up a grating interferometer that fits into a standard mammography system and fulfilled the aforementioned conditions. Here, we present the first mastectomy images acquired with this experimental device. Results and conclusion Our system performs at a mean glandular dose of 1.6 mGy for a 5-cm-thick, 18%-dense breast, and a field-of-view of 26 × 21 cm2. It seems to be well-suited as basis for a clinical-environment device. Further, dark-field signals seem to support an improved lesion visualization. Evidently, the effective impact of such indications must be evaluated and quantified within the context of a proper reader study. Key Points • Grating-interferometry-based mammography (GIM) might facilitate breast cancer detection, since it is sensitive to refraction and scattering and thus provides additional tissue information. • The most straightforward way to do grating-interferometry in the clinics is to modify a standard mammography device. • In a first approximation, the doses given with this technique seem to be similar to those of conventional mammography.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards clinical grating-interferometry mammography

et al. 2019

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“…Shortly after the initial experimental demonstrations of DPC and dark-field imaging using medical-grade tubes and detectors, 11,12 the x-ray imaging community initiated a volley of investigations on the method's potential applications in human breast imaging. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] The concept of DPC and darkfield breast imaging is attractive because of the lack of x-ray attenuation contrast between cancerous and normal fibroglandular tissue. The presence of the so-called breast anatomical noise in attenuation-contrast breast images adds another layer of complexity to confound the detection and classification of masses and microcalcifications in breasts, particularly for women with mammographically dense breast tissue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fast acquisition with seamless stage translation (FASST) for a trimodal x‐ray breast imaging system

et al. 2020

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Purpose: A major technical obstacle to bringing x-ray multicontrast (i.e., attenuation, phase, and dark-field) imaging methodology to clinical use is the prolonged data acquisition time caused by the phase stepping procedure. The purpose of this work was to introduce a fast acquisition with seamless stage translation (FASST) technique to a prototype multicontrast breast imaging system for reduced image acquisition time that is clinically acceptable. Methods: The prototype system was constructed based on a Hologic full-field digital mammography + digital breast tomosynthesis combination system. During each FASST acquisition process, a motorized stage holding a diffraction grating travels continuously with a constant velocity, and a train of 15 short x-ray pulses (35 ms each) was delivered by using the Zero-Degree Tomo mode of the Hologic system. Standard phase retrieval was applied to the 15 subimages without spatial interpolation to avoid spatial resolution loss. The method was evaluated using a physical phantom, a bovine udder specimen, and a freshly resected mastectomy specimen. The FASST technique was experimentally compared with single-shot acquisition methods and the standard phase stepping method. Results: The image acquisition time of the proposed method is 3.7 s. In comparison, conventional phase stepping took 105 s using the same prototype imaging system. The mean glandular dose of both methods was matched at 1.3 mGy. No artifacts or spatial resolution loss was observed in images produced by FASST. In contrast, the single-shot methods led to spatial resolution loss and residual moir e artifacts. Conclusions: The FASST technique reduces the data acquisition time of the prototype multicontrast x-ray breast imaging system to 3.7 s, such that it is comparable to a clinical digital breast tomosynthesis exam.

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“…In the meantime, Scherer et al [5] applied a bi-directional phase-contrast mammography approach to a freshly dissected cancerous breast sample and were able to reliably detect tumor structures independently from their orientation within the breast. Later on, Scherer et al [6] presented the first dose-compatible and fast scantime phase-contrast images of both a freshly dissected cancerous mastectomy sample and a mammographic accreditation phantom.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitivity-based optimization for the design of a grating interferometer for clinical X-ray phase contrast mammography

et al. 2017

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An X-ray grating interferometer (GI) suitable for clinical mammography must comply with quite strict dose, scanning time and geometry limitations, while being able to detect tumors, microcalcifications and other abnormalities. Such a design task is not straightforward, since obtaining optimal phase-contrast and dark-field signals with clinically compatible doses and geometrical constraints is remarkably challenging. In this work, we present a wave propagation based optimization that uses the phase and dark-field sensitivities as figures of merit. This method was used to calculate the optimal interferometer designs for a commercial mammography setup. Its accuracy was validated by measuring the visibility of polycarbonate samples of different thicknesses on a Talbot-Lau interferometer installed on this device and considering some of the most common grating imperfections to be able to reproduce the experimental values. The optimization method outcomes indicate that small grating pitches are required to boost sensitivity in such a constrained setup and that there is a different optimal scenario for each signal type.

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Toward Clinically Compatible Phase-Contrast Mammography

Cited by 9 publications

References 19 publications

Towards clinical grating-interferometry mammography

Towards clinical grating-interferometry mammography

Fast acquisition with seamless stage translation (FASST) for a trimodal x‐ray breast imaging system

Sensitivity-based optimization for the design of a grating interferometer for clinical X-ray phase contrast mammography

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