Three-dimensional mammography

Abstract

A method of three dimensional X-ray imaging has previously been developed for security screening applications. The technique which has been adopted however, is a general one. It is based on two divergent beams derived from the same X-ray source and uses a pair of linear array detectors. In a single scan the system is capable of producing two 2-D images and two 3-D images of an object. Work is currently under way to develop a 3-D (stereoscopic) mammography instrument based on the above principle. The image information will be produced directly in digital format and will conform to the emerging DICON standard for medical image storage and retrieval. In order to achieve the appropriate resolution in the images the direct magnification technique will be adopted. On completion of the machine it will be evaluated in clinical trials at the City Hospital in Nottingham. The results of these trials using this advanced X-ray imaging technique will be reported in due course. The project is being supported under the MedLINK programme and is being carried out by a consortium which also includes St Bartholomew's Hospital and University College, London.