Comparative technical study of two generations of CR plates for digital mammography

Abstract

The performance that can be achieved with CR plates for mammographic applications can be influenced by 2 main components: (1) the performance of plate and reader, and (2) the X-ray beam quality and intensity. Present study investigates a prototype CR plate with a crystal based phosphor layer, as produced by Konica Minolta, in a comparative set-up with a commercially available CR plate of the same company. The following system tests were performed: contrast-detail analysis, system MTF and noise power evaluations. The results reveal that the new CR plate outperforms the older plate. Similar levels of quality can be achieved with a 26% lower dose. The contrast-detail analysis shows better results for the W/Rh anode filter combination than for Mo/Mo and Mo/Rh. Therefore higher beam qualities may be promising candidates for use in clinical practice. It may be recommendable to work in practice at the same dose settings as with the actually available plates and thus benefit from better image quality. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.