Radiation dose differences between digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis are dependent on breast thickness

Purpose To evaluate the radiation dose derived from digital mammography (DM) and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) at different tube current-exposure time product (mAs) and at 6 phantom thicknesses from 10 to 60 mm. Materials and Methods A total of 240 DM and DBT cranio-caudal (CC) phantom images were acquired at each thickness and at four exposure levels (the baseline mAs, 50%, 25% and 12.5% the baseline mAs). The incident Air Kerma (K) at the surface of the phantoms was measured using a solid state dosimeter. Mean Glandular Doses (MGD) were calculated for both modalities (DM and DBT). Results DBT dose was greater than that of DM for all mAs at each phantom thickness. For a breast thickness of 50 mm (close to average sized breast), the dose for DBT (2.32 mGy) was 13% higher than that for DM (2.05 mGy). The results also show that the difference in MGD between DM and DBT was less for the thicker compared with the thinner phantom, this difference being approximately a factor of 2.58 at 10 mm compared with a factor of 1.08 at 60 mm. While the MGD increased with increasing phantom thickness for both modalities, the dose increase with DBT was less than for DM, with the difference between 10 and 60 mm being a factor of 7 for DM and 3 for DBT. Conclusion The radiation dose from DBT was higher than that of DM and the difference in dose between DM and DBT decreases as phantom thickness increases.