Measurements of compressed thickness of compression paddle using a bolus phantom in digital mammography

Abstract

The purpose of this study is the investigation of compressed thickness of the fix and flexible compression paddles using a Bolus phantom in digital mammography. A 5-cm- tihck Bolus phantom and a 5-cm-tihck PMMA phantom were used for the assessments of compressed thickness. The compression forces of 0-200 N and 0-140 N were applied to the Bolus phantom and the PMMA phantom, respectively. Results from this study show that the displayed thickness of the PMMA phantom was greater than the displayed thickness of the Bolus phantom for the same compression force. The difference of displayed thickness was increased with increasing compression force and the maximum value was 0.4 cm. In conclusion, the Bolus phantom is suitable for the measurements of compressed thickness during mammographic compression procedure.