DTIC ADA418566: Comparison of Image Quality Among Variations in Specimen Tissue Compression and Fluid Immersion for Diffraction Enhanced Imaging

📝 Description

Significant improvements have been made in mammography over the past two decades; however, all current existing radiographic systems rely on x-ray absorption to define the differences between normal and abnormal tissues. Given the complexity of imaging breast tissue, there are characteristics and findings that are difficult to interpret or missed entirely by conventional methods. A new radiographic imaging method, Diffraction Enhanced Imaging (DEI), has been proposed to extend the capabilities of the current standard and increase detection of occult disease. This study is designed to compare the fine structural detail provided by DEI under several tissue preparation conditions. The preparation variables include the pressure used to compress the tissues and the use of air-filled versus water-filled containers for imaging. Our hypothesis is that compression pressure will have no significant effect upon the imaging of fine structural detail. This could reduce the need for breast compression which is a uniformly unpleasant component of conventional mammography. The tissue compression plates have been built and several images have been obtained at Brookhaven National Laboratory characterizing various disease conditions. Tissue specimens will continue to be collected, imaged, and processed for use in an upcoming reader study to determine the effects of compression on visualization.