Description and benefits of dynamic collimation in digital breast tomosynthesis

X-ray field to image receptor active area alignment is usually tested in mammographic QC. In digital breast tomosynthesis (dBT), the source moves during the acquisition, generating a displacement of the X-ray beam edges relative to the detector, in or out of the detector active area. To minimise unn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation protection dosimetry 2015-07, Vol.165 (1-4), p.321-324
Main Authors: Popova, Y, Hersemeule, G, Klausz, R, Souchay, H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Breast Neoplasms - diagnosis
Breast Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging
Equipment Design
Female
Humans
Mammography - instrumentation
Mammography - methods
Quality Control
Radiographic Image Enhancement - methods
Semiconductors
X-Rays
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Description
Summary:X-ray field to image receptor active area alignment is usually tested in mammographic QC. In digital breast tomosynthesis (dBT), the source moves during the acquisition, generating a displacement of the X-ray beam edges relative to the detector, in or out of the detector active area. To minimise unnecessary radiation while maximising the useful field of view, a solution consisting in adjusting the collimation with the source rotation was implemented on the GE SenoClaire dBT system. This solution is described and tested using three different methods based on: (1) images from the detector, (2) a non-screen film and (3) a semi-conductor tool providing the X-ray intensity profile. Method 1 demonstrated a maximum positioning error of 0.3 mm. Method 2 was found non-applicable; Method 3 provided measurements within 1.5 mm. Dynamic collimation enables maintaining an X-ray field to detector congruence comparable with 2D. Measuring the position of the X-ray field edges using a dedicated tool makes routine QC possible.
ISSN:0144-8420
1742-3406
DOI:10.1093/rpd/ncv095