AbstractID: 10048 Title: Anode/Filter Combinations in Digital Mammography
Screen film mammography has most recently been performed using molybdenum anode x-ray tubes with molybdenum filters. For large breast
thickness, rhodium anodes and/or filter are used. This choice has been heavily inflenced by the H and D characteristics of the screen film system
used for recordings.
With the introduction of digital radiography, the image acquired can be optimized with respect to the contrast to noise (CNR) in relation to
absorbed dose. Image processing is then used to convert this for processing image to one with the contrast needed for presentation. Additionally,
these processed imagesadapt the brightness in the skin line region.
Recent work indicates that significant improvements in image quality and reductions in exposure time can be achieved using tungsten target
anodes with K-edge filtration.
The educational objectives of this presentation are:
1. Review recent studies on alternative anode/filter combinations.
2. Explain the rationale for a dose normalized CNR
3. Describe computer simulation methods to simulate mammography x-ray spectra and optimize anode/filter combinations.