National survey of mammographic facilities in 1985, 1988, and 1992.
OBJECTIVE
To determine trends in mammography in the United States.


METHODS
A sample of mammographic facilities was selected for each year of the Nationwide Evaluation of X-ray Trends. The same protocol was followed for the 1985, 1988, and 1992 surveys. Data were collected with use of the same imaging phantom for all three surveys and also with a different phantom in the 1988 and 1992 surveys.


RESULTS
Of the 356 facilities surveyed in 1992, 59% claimed to be in compliance with the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) mammography requirements, 42% were accredited by the American College of Radiology (ACR), and 23% did not hold credentials from either the HCFA or the ACR. Since 1985, there has been a 34% improvement in acceptable phantom image quality score and a 20% decrease in the mean glandular dose.


CONCLUSIONS
Mammography as practiced today is essentially a screen-film technique. Mammographic phantom image quality has improved considerably. The overall mean glandular dose has decreased primarily because of the elimination of xeroradiography.
Conway
B J
BJ
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Rockville, MD 20857.
Suleiman
O H
OH
Rueter
F G
FG
Antonsen
R G
RG
Slayton
R J
RJ
D000068:Accreditation; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014487:Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D008961:Models, Structural; D010781:Photography / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000592:standards; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D014963:X-Ray Intensifying Screens