Digitale vollfeldmammographie : Phantomstudie zur detektion von Mikrokalk

Objectif: The study compares direct full-field digital mammography (FFDM) to the state-of-the-art conventional screen-film mammography (SFM) concerning the detectability of simulated microcalcifications. Materials and Methods: The investigations were performed with a FFDM system (Senographe 2000D, GEMS) and a SFM system (Senographe DMR, GEMS, Fuji UM MA film with Fuji UM MAMMO FINE screen). An anthropomorphic breast phantom with superimposed microcalcifications (50-200 μm) was used to evaluate the detectability of microcalcifications with a confidence level ranging from 1 to 5. Contact mammograms and magnification spot views (m = 1.8) of the FFDM and SFM systems were compared. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed by three well-experienced readers. Results: The ROC analysis revealed a higher performance of the digital images compared to the conventional screen-film mammograms. The area under the ROC-curve (A z ) in the digital contact mammograms was 0.68 versus 0.63 in the conventional technique. The results were not significantly different. In digital spot views, A z was 0.79 versus 0.70 in the conventional spot views. Conclusions: The results suggest that FFDM is at least equivalent or - as far as spot views are concerned - may be superior to conventional SFM in the detection of microcalcifications.