The underrated dimension: How 3D interactive mammography can improve breast visualization

Abstract

Breast tissue superposition or parenchymal density have been known as Digital Mammography’s (DM) main limitations. More expensive and case-specific tools such as MRI and ultrasound imaging may be used to address this problem, but 2D DM remains the most practical and cost-effective approach. Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) has the ability to overcome both problems. However, the images produced by this technique are affected by the limited resolution between slices, which combined with a lack of a viewing mode make it difficult to visualize the true 3D structure of the breast. This is unfortunate since stereo static 3D representations can improve real lesion detection. In this paper, we propose a new interactive visualization approach to DBT that explores all three dimensions of the volume data. Our approach allows combining DBT slices to generate a 3D representation of the breast in order to improve the radiologist’s depth perception. Preliminary results suggest that this alternative has the potential to achieve similar visual enhancement of lesions, as well as to reduce the time required to locate and classify these.