title: Toward high-contrast breast CT at low radiation dose.
abstract: This study was approved by the local research ethics committee, and patient informed consent was obtained. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that high-spatial-resolution low-dose analyzer-based x-ray computed tomography (CT) can substantially improve the radiographic contrast of breast tissue in vitro when compared with that attained by using diagnostic mammography and CT. An excised human breast tumor was examined by using analyzer-based x-ray imaging with synchrotron radiation. The correspondence between analyzer-based x-ray images and diagnostic mammograms, CT images, and histopathologic findings was determined. Calcifications and fine details of soft tissue, which are at the contrast detection limit on diagnostic mammograms, are clearly visible on planar analyzer-based x-ray images. Analyzer-based x-ray CT yields high contrast from smoothly varying internal structures, such as tumorous mass lesions, corresponding to information on actual structures seen at histopathologic analysis. The mean glandular dose of 1.9 mGy in analyzer-based x-ray CT is approximately equivalent to the dose administered during single-view screening mammography. The improved visibility of mammographically indistinguishable lesions in vitro suggests that analyzer-based x-ray CT may be a valuable method in radiographic evaluation of the breast, thereby justifying further investigations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology and Radiotherapy, Turku University Central Hospital, Savitehtaankatu 1, FIN-20521 Turku, Finland. jani.keyrilainen@tyks.fi
authors.forename: Jani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keyriläinen
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernández
authors.forename: Marja-Liisa
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Karjalainen-Lindsberg
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Virkkunen
authors.forename: Marjut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leidenius
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: von Smitten
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fiedler
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suhonen
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suortti
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bravin
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods*