Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Jan;22(1):1-8.
doi: 10.1007/s00330-011-2169-4. Epub 2011 Jun 9.

High-resolution spiral CT of the breast at very low dose: concept and feasibility considerations

Willi A Kalender  1 , Marcel Beister, John M Boone, Daniel Kolditz, Sabrina V Vollmar, Michaela C C Weigel
Affiliations

High-resolution spiral CT of the breast at very low dose: concept and feasibility considerations

Willi A Kalender et al. Eur Radiol. 2012 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: Mammography, today's standard imaging approach, has deficits with respect to the superimposition of anatomical structures. Dedicated CT of the breast so far indicated that it can provide superior soft-tissue imaging, but that it still has significant limitations with respect to spatial resolution and dose. We have assessed novel dedicated breast CT technology.

Methods: Based on simulations and measurements we developed novel technology which uses direct-conversion CdTe material and photon-counting electronics with 100 μm detector element size for close to 100% dose efficiency. We assessed the potential for the imaging of microcalcifications of 100 to 200 μm diameter and soft-tissue lesions of 1 to 5 mm diameter by simulations at dose levels between 1 and 6 mGy.

Results: Microcalcifications of 150 μm and soft-tissue lesions of 2 mm diameter were found to be clearly detectable at an average glandular dose of 3 mGy. Separate displays are required for high-resolution microcalcification and for low-resolution soft-tissue analysis. Total CT data acquisition time will be below 10 s.

Conclusion: Dedicated breast CT may eventually provide comprehensive diagnostic assessment of microcalcifications and soft-tissue structures at dose levels equivalent to or below those of two-view screening mammography.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Phys Med Biol. 2001 Jul;46(7):1835-44 - PubMed
    1. Radiology. 2009 Jul;252(1):140-7 - PubMed
    1. Lancet. 2004 Sep 25-Oct 1;364(9440):1111-2 - PubMed
    1. Eur Radiol. 2010 Jul;20(7):1545-53 - PubMed
    1. Radiology. 2010 Sep;256(3):714-23 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources