Potential of dose reduction after marker placement with full-field digital mammography.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of our study was to assess the potential for radiation dose reduction in digital postinterventional digital mammograms after marker placement.


METHODS
One hundred consecutive cases of marker placement (hook-wire localization or postbiopsy clip marker placement), with 200 full-field digital baseline mammograms (craniocaudal and mediolateral), were included in this prospective trial. For the postinterventional digital mammograms, the milliampere seconds were reduced either by 50% or by 75%. Dose-reduced images were evaluated for sufficient image quality to verify the position of the marker.


RESULTS
In 193 of 200 cases (96.5%), image quality was sufficient to verify the correct position of the marker. One (1%) case with insufficient image quality occurred in the 50% dose-reduction group and 6 (6%) in the 75% dose-reduction group (P = 0.06).


CONCLUSIONS
Our results indicate that under evaluation of each individual case, a dose reduction of 50% to 75% can be recommended in postinterventional digital mammograms.
Riedl
Christopher C
CC
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA. riedlc@mskcc.org
Jaromi
Silvia
S
Floery
Daniel
D
Pfarl
Georg
G
Fuchsjaeger
Michael H
MH
Helbich
Thomas H
TH
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*