EQUALIZATION TECHNIQUES IN MAMMOGRAPHY

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The proven capability of mammography in the detection of minimal breast cancers and the corresponding improvement in prognosis has led to the recommendation by the ACR/ACS for a national breast screening protocol. In spite of the potential benefit of these programs, their general implementation is far from complete. Primary obstacles include public concern regarding radiation risks and discomfort from aggressive compression, cost, logistical difficulties and remaining technical limitations in younger patient populations. It is the purpose of this project to study means of improving mammographic image quality by the combined application of improved scatter rejection and equalization to enhance image contrast with the potential for reduced radiation dose. We believe that this will improve the overall efficacy of mammography for all paients but with primary advantages for those with dense, glandular breasts where current techniques are severely limited. We will embark upon a program to fully explore the role of equalization to mammography by the combined development of a prototype equalization mammography system (MSER) leading to the construction of a fully clinical system. We will conduct a number of phantom perception experiments with specialized anthropomorphic breast phantoms measuring the detection of cancer and microcalcifications analyzed with ROC statistics. These studies will be done with various breast phantom configurations to simulate fatty through to very dense glandular breasts. A limited clinical evaluation will follow.