Comparison of tomosynthesis methods used with digital mammography.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES The authors performed this study to investigate the potential applicability of tomosynthesis to digital mammography. Four methods of tomosynthesis-tuned aperture computed tomography (TACT)-backprojection, TACT-iterative restoration, iterative reconstruction with expectation maximization, and Bayesian smoothing-were compared to planar mammography and analyzed in terms of their contrast-detail characteristics. Specific comparisons between the tomosynthesis methods were not attempted in this study. MATERIALS AND METHODS A full-field, amorphous, silicon-based, flat-panel digital mammographic system was used to obtain planar and tomosynthesis projection images. A composite tomosynthesis phantom with a centrally located contrast-detail insert was used as the object of interest. The total exposure for multiple views with tomosynthesis was always equal to or less than that for the planar technique. Algorithms were used to reconstruct the object from the acquired projections. RESULTS Threshold contrast characteristics with all tomosynthesis reconstruction methods were significantly better than those with planar mammography, even when planar mammography was performed at more than twice the exposure level. Reduction of out-of-plane structural components was observed in all the tomosynthesis methods analyzed. CONCLUSION The contrast-detail trends of all the tomosynthesis methods analyzed in this study were better than those of planar mammography. Further optimization of the algorithms could lead to better image reconstruction, which would improve visualization of valuable diagnostic information.

[1]  R. C. Murry,et al.  Digital tomosynthesis: technique for electronic reconstructive tomography. , 1983, AJR. American journal of roentgenology.

[2]  B. G. Ziedses des Plantes,et al.  Eine Neue Methode Zur Differenzierung in der Rontgenographie (Planigraphies) , 1932 .

[3]  Richard L. Webber,et al.  Nonlinear algorithm for task-specific tomosynthetic image reconstruction , 1999, Medical Imaging.

[4]  S Sone,et al.  Chest Imaging with Dual-Energy Subtraction Digital Tomosynthesis , 1993, Acta radiologica.

[5]  E. Miller,et al.  An infinite number of laminagrams from a finite number of radiographs. , 1971, Radiology.

[6]  George A. Johnson,et al.  Film-Based Digital Tomosynthesis Of The Chest , 1988 .

[7]  D. Tyndall,et al.  The effects of restorative material and location on the detection of simulated recurrent caries. A comparison of dental film, direct digital radiography and tuned aperture computed tomography. , 1998, Dento maxillo facial radiology.

[8]  G Panayiotakis,et al.  A method for selective removal of out-of-plane structures in digital tomosynthesis. , 1993, Medical physics.

[9]  D. Tyndall,et al.  Tuned Aperture Computed Tomography and Detection of Recurrent Caries , 1997, Caries Research.

[10]  L. Wagner,et al.  Analysis of variations in contrast-detail experiments. , 1984, Medical physics.

[11]  S Suryanarayanan,et al.  Full breast digital mammography with an amorphous silicon-based flat panel detector: physical characteristics of a clinical prototype. , 2000, Medical physics.

[12]  David Gold,et al.  Statistical Methods for the Behavioral Sciences. , 1955 .

[13]  T D Kampp,et al.  The backprojection method applied to classical tomography. , 1986, Medical physics.

[14]  G Panayiotakis,et al.  A multiple projection method for digital tomosynthesis. , 1992, Medical physics.

[15]  P. Joseph.  An Improved Algorithm for Reprojecting Rays through Pixel Images , 1982 .

[16]  Erhard Klotz,et al.  Digital flashing tomosynthesis: a promising technique for angiocardiographic screening , 1993, IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging.

[17]  G. Gullberg,et al.  A rotating and warping projector/backprojector for fan-beam and cone-beam iterative algorithm , 1994 .

[18]  P. Lehner,et al.  Lemierre syndrome: forgotten but not extinct--report of four cases. , 1999, Radiology.

[19]  G G Cox,et al.  Comparison of the low-contrast detectability of a screen-film system and third generation computed radiography. , 1994, Medical physics.

[20]  M J Yaffe,et al.  X-ray characterization of breast phantom materials. , 1998, Physics in medicine and biology.

[21]  A. Lakshminarayanan,et al.  Self-masking subtraction tomosynthesis. , 1984, Radiology.

[22]  D. G. Grant.  Tomosynthesis: a three-dimensional radiographic imaging technique. , 1972, IEEE transactions on bio-medical engineering.

[23]  R. J. Johns,et al.  Three dimensional roentgenography. , 1969, The American journal of roentgenology, radium therapy, and nuclear medicine.

[24]  K. J. Ray Liu,et al.  Fractal modeling and segmentation for the enhancement of microcalcifications in digital mammograms , 1997, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[25]  T J Hall,et al.  Ultrasound contrast-detail analysis: a preliminary study in human observer performance. , 1993, Medical physics.

[26]  T Aach,et al.  Digital radiography enhancement by nonlinear multiscale processing. , 2000, Medical physics.

[27]  R. Siddon.  Fast calculation of the exact radiological path for a three-dimensional CT array. , 1985, Medical physics.

[28]  D. Kopans,et al.  Digital tomosynthesis in breast imaging. , 1997, Radiology.

[29]  Robert K. Kerlan,et al.  Ureteral obstructions and leaks after renal transplantation: outcome of percutaneous antegrade ureteral stent placement in 44 patients. , 1998, Radiology.

[30]  T D Kampp,et al.  Digitized longitudinal tomography. , 1981, Investigative radiology.

[31]  C. Mettlin,et al.  Global breast cancer mortality statistics , 1999, CA: a cancer journal for clinicians.

[32]  Richard L. Webber,et al.  Restoration of Digital Multiplane Tomosynthesis by a Constrained Iteration Method , 1984, IEEE Transactions on Medical Imaging.

[33]  T. R. Fewell,et al.  Molybdenum, rhodium, and tungsten anode spectral models using interpolating polynomials with application to mammography. , 1997, Medical physics.

[34]  Roger E. Kirk,et al.  Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). , 1995 .

[35]  Hiroshi Matsuo,et al.  Three-dimensional image reconstruction by digital tomo-synthesis using inverse filtering , 1993, IEEE Trans. Medical Imaging.

[36]  R. Kirk.  Experimental Design: Procedures for the Behavioral Sciences , 1970 .

[37]  Taylor Murray,et al.  Cancer statistics, 1999 , 1999, CA: a cancer journal for clinicians.

[38]  J B Ludlow,et al.  Tuned-aperture computed tomography (TACT). Theory and application for three-dimensional dento-alveolar imaging. , 1997, Dento maxillo facial radiology.