Signal-to-noise ratio and radiation dose as a function of photon energy in mammography

Walter Huda; Andrzej Krol; Zhenxue Jing; John M. Boone

doi:10.1117/12.317035

24 July 1998 Signal-to-noise ratio and radiation dose as a function of photon energy in mammography

Walter Huda, Andrzej Krol, Zhenxue Jing, John M. Boone

Proceedings Volume 3336, Medical Imaging 1998: Physics of Medical Imaging; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317035
Event: Medical Imaging '98, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

This study investigated the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and radiation dose as a function of photon energy in screen-film mammography. An analytical expression was derived for the SNR for monoenergetic photons incident on simulated masses and microcalcifications embedded in uniform slabs of Lucite. The mean dose, D, was determined by dividing the total energy deposited in the Lucite phantom by the corresponding phantom mass. SNR and dose data for different photon energies were normalized to a constant value of energy absorbed by a 34 mg/cm² Gd₂O₂S screen. A figure of merit (FOM), defined as SNR²/D, permitted the optimum photon energy to be determined for each imaging task. For microcalcifications, the optimum energy was dependent on the size of the microcalcification, and increased from 19 keV for 100 micrometer to 22 keV for 500 micrometer imaged in a 4 cm Lucite phantom. The optimal photon energy for microcalcifications was 16 - 19 keV for a 2 cm phantom, increasing to 24 - 26 keV for an 8 cm phantom. For simulated masses of all diameters (2 mm to 10 mm) and thickness (0.15 to 0.6 mm), the optimal photon energy was approximately 17 keV for a 2 cm phantom, and increased to approximately 32 keV for an 8 cm phantom.

Citation Download Citation

Walter Huda, Andrzej Krol, Zhenxue Jing, and John M. Boone "Signal-to-noise ratio and radiation dose as a function of photon energy in mammography", Proc. SPIE 3336, Medical Imaging 1998: Physics of Medical Imaging, (24 July 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.317035

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