The use of detectability indices as a means of automatic exposure control for a digital mammography system

This work examines the use of a detectability index to control an Automatic Exposure Control (AEC) system for an amorphous-Selenium digital mammography detector. The default AEC mode for the system was evaluated using homogeneous poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) plates of thickness 20, 40, 60 and 70 mm to find the tube potential and anode/filter settings selected by the system. Detectability index (d') using a non-prewhitened model observer with eye filter (NPWE) was calculated for these beam qualities as a function of air kerma at the detector. AEC settings were calculated that gave constant d' as a function of beam quality for a homogeneous background; a target d' was used that ensured the system passed the achievable image quality criterion for the 0.1 mm diameter disc in the European Guidelines. Threshold gold thickness was measured using the CDMAM test object as a function of beam quality for the AEC mode, which held pixel value (PV) constant, and for the constant d' mode. Threshold gold thickness for the 0.1 mm disc increased by a factor of 2.18 for the constant PV mode, while constant d' mode held threshold gold thickness constant to within 7% and signal-difference-to-noise-ratio (SdNR) constant to within 5%. The constant d' settings derived for homogeneous images were then applied to a phantom with a structured background. Threshold gold thickness for the 0.13 mm disc increased by a factor of 1.90 for the constant PV mode, while constant d' mode held threshold gold thickness constant within 38% for 0.13 mm disk.