title: Comparison of two screen-film combinations in contact and magnification mammography: detectability of microcalcifications.
abstract: A new dual-screen, dual-emulsion-film combination that allows a decrease in radiation dose of approximately 66% was compared with a widely used single-screen, single-emulsion-film system in contact and magnification mammography. Clustered microcalcifications randomly superimposed on a breast phantom were detected, and the location and number of individual calcifications were determined by four observers. The detectability of calcifications, determined with a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis area, was 0.92 for magnification and 0.82 for contact mammography with the single-emulsion-film system, compared with 0.84 and 0.72, respectively, with the dual-emulsion-film system. More clusters were correctly located and more individual calcifications were counted with magnification than with contact mammography. The dual-emulsion-film system with the magnification technique performs as well as the single-emulsion-film system with the contact technique, while retaining a decrease in required dose of approximately 40%.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Oestmann
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Kopans
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Linetsky
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Swann
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D008961:Models, Structural; D012372:ROC Curve; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011858:Radiographic Magnification; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens / Q000592:standards*