Bahaa Ghammraoui1, Spyridon Gkoumas2, Stephen J Glick1. 1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Silver Spring, Maryland, United States. 2. DECTRIS Ltd., Baden, Switzerland.
Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of a prototype gallium arsenide (GaAs) photon-counting detector (PCD) for imaging of the breast. Approach: First, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) using different aluminum/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) phantoms of different thicknesses were measured. Second, microcalcification detection accuracy using a receiver operating characteristic study with three observers reading an ensemble of images was measured. Finally, the feasibility of using a GaAs system with two energy bins for contrast-enhanced mammography was investigated. Results: For the first two studies, the GaAs detector was compared with a commercial mammography system. The CNR was estimated by imaging 18-, 36-, and 110 - μ m -thick aluminum targets placed on top of 6 cm of PMMA plates and was found to be similar or better over a range of exposures. We observed a similar performance of detecting microcalcifications with the GaAs detector over a range of clinically applicable dose levels with a small increase at lower dose levels. The results also showed that contrast-enhanced spectral mammography using a GaAs PCD is feasible and beneficial. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that performance with this new detector seems either slightly improved or equivalent to a commercial mammography system that used an energy-integrated detector. No attempt at optimizing exposure techniques for the GaAs detector was performed. Further research is needed to determine optimal acquisition parameters for the GaAs detector and to develop more sophisticated material decomposition algorithms that promise to provide improved quantitative estimates of iodine uptake.
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of a prototype gallium arsenide (GaAs) photon-counting detector (PCD) for imaging of the breast. Approach: First, the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) using different aluminum/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) phantoms of different thicknesses were measured. Second, microcalcification detection accuracy using a receiver operating characteristic study with three observers reading an ensemble of images was measured. Finally, the feasibility of using a GaAs system with two energy bins for contrast-enhanced mammography was investigated. Results: For the first two studies, the GaAs detector was compared with a commercial mammography system. The CNR was estimated by imaging 18-, 36-, and 110 - μ m -thick aluminum targets placed on top of 6 cm of PMMA plates and was found to be similar or better over a range of exposures. We observed a similar performance of detecting microcalcifications with the GaAs detector over a range of clinically applicable dose levels with a small increase at lower dose levels. The results also showed that contrast-enhanced spectral mammography using a GaAs PCD is feasible and beneficial. Conclusions: Results from this study suggest that performance with this new detector seems either slightly improved or equivalent to a commercial mammography system that used an energy-integrated detector. No attempt at optimizing exposure techniques for the GaAs detector was performed. Further research is needed to determine optimal acquisition parameters for the GaAs detector and to develop more sophisticated material decomposition algorithms that promise to provide improved quantitative estimates of iodine uptake.
Authors: Lynda C Ikejimba; Christian G Graff; Shani Rosenthal; Andreu Badal; Bahaa Ghammraoui; Joseph Y Lo; Stephen J Glick Journal: Med Phys Date: 2017-02-02 Impact factor: 4.071
Authors: Klaus Erhard; Fleur Kilburn-Toppin; Paula Willsher; Elin Moa; Erik Fredenberg; Nataly Wieberneit; Thomas Buelow; Matthew G Wallis Journal: Invest Radiol Date: 2016-05 Impact factor: 6.016
Authors: Adam Wang; Ian Cunningham; Mats Danielsson; Rebecca Fahrig; Thomas Flohr; Christoph Hoeschen; Frederic Noo; John M Sabol; Jeffrey H Siewerdsen; Anders Tingberg; John Yorkston; Wei Zhao; Ehsan Samei Journal: J Med Imaging (Bellingham) Date: 2022-03-16