Effect of film digitization on mammographic image quality

Abstract

The modern hospital environment uses PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) instrumentation for storing and process digital images. Breast cancer is of the highest causes for women death. Routinely mammography examinations are performed for the early detection of breast cancer and reference purposes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the image quality of digitized films which might be incorporated in digital hospital environment. The Artinis CDMAM type 3.4 phantom, was placed in contact with 40mm PMMA slabs and irradiated with Mo/Mo and Mo/Rh typical X-ray mammographic spectra. The derived films were digitized with an AGFA Duo Scan medical scanner with 8bit pixel depth and 1000ppi resolution. The optical density of the film was in the linear pat of the scanner transfer curve. For the analysis of the digitized images the Image J software was used. The contrast detail curve to both the analog and the digitized films was calculated according to the CDMAM instructions. It was found that the 25kV mammogram was presented betted contrast detail than the other exposure conditions. If the 28kV is consider the image quality of the film depends upon the position of the phantom with respect to the film. In most cases the digitized film presents worse contrast detail