Low X-Ray Dose Digital Mammography System

The long term objective is to develop x-ray systems that will minimize x-ray radiation dose to the patient during clinical diagnosis and routine screening, while maximizing the usefulness of data by applying advanced sensing and signal processing techniques. Near theoretical limit x-ray sensitivity can be achieved with advanced semiconductor detector arrays, so x-ray radiation dose can be reduced by more than an order of magnitude from that required by conventional screen-film systems. The inherently digital output of the detector array is ideally suited for Computed Radiology including electronic archiving and image transmission, image enhancement and analysis, and computer aided diagnosis. During Phase I, there are several specific aims: to produce a preliminary digital mammography system design to determine performance requirements for each of the subsystems; to design, fabricate, and test the critical detector arrays; to address the key detector packaging and system mechanical design issues; and to design the data acquisition subsystem and produce a detailed image display, enhancement, analysis, and archiving software plan.