Objective: Accurate detection and classification of breast lesions in early stage is crucial to timely formulate effective treatments for patients. We aim to develop a fully automatic system to detect and classify bre...Objective: Accurate detection and classification of breast lesions in early stage is crucial to timely formulate effective treatments for patients. We aim to develop a fully automatic system to detect and classify breast lesions using multiple contrast-enhanced mammography(CEM) images.Methods: In this study, a total of 1,903 females who underwent CEM examination from three hospitals were enrolled as the training set, internal testing set, pooled external testing set and prospective testing set. Here we developed a CEM-based multiprocess detection and classification system(MDCS) to perform the task of detection and classification of breast lesions. In this system, we introduced an innovative auxiliary feature fusion(AFF)algorithm that could intelligently incorporates multiple types of information from CEM images. The average freeresponse receiver operating characteristic score(AFROC-Score) was presented to validate system’s detection performance, and the performance of classification was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC). Furthermore, we assessed the diagnostic value of MDCS through visual analysis of disputed cases,comparing its performance and efficiency with that of radiologists and exploring whether it could augment radiologists’ performance.Results: On the pooled external and prospective testing sets, MDCS always maintained a high standalone performance, with AFROC-Scores of 0.953 and 0.963 for detection task, and AUCs for classification were 0.909[95% confidence interval(95% CI): 0.822-0.996] and 0.912(95% CI: 0.840-0.985), respectively. It also achieved higher sensitivity than all senior radiologists and higher specificity than all junior radiologists on pooled external and prospective testing sets. Moreover, MDCS performed superior diagnostic efficiency with an average reading time of 5 seconds, compared to the radiologists’ average reading time of 3.2 min. The average performance of all radiologists was also improved to varying degrees with MDCS assistance.Conclusions: MDCS demonstrated excellent performance in the detection and classification of breast lesions,and greatly enhanced the overall performance of radiologists.展开更多
<strong>Objective:</strong> To date, few studies have compared the diagnostic performance and visibility of microcalcifications obtained using digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with those obtained from fu...<strong>Objective:</strong> To date, few studies have compared the diagnostic performance and visibility of microcalcifications obtained using digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with those obtained from full-field digital mammography (FFDM). The visualization and characterization of microcalcifications with DBT remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the visibility of microcalcifications and determine whether DBT exhibits a diagnostic advantage for visualizing microcalcifications over FFDM.<strong> Methods: </strong>We retrospectively reviewed 120 cases including DBT and FFDM imaging (60 histologically verified as breast cancers and 60 as benign microcalcifications or normal). DBT images with a wide scan-angle of 50<span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span></span> and FFDM images were obtained using a flat-panel system (MAMMOMAT Inspiration, Siemens). Images were independently reviewed by four board-certified radiologists and evaluated for the presence of microcalcifications, probability of malignancy (BI-RADS classification), and visibility. <strong>Results:</strong> In predicting the malignancy of detected microcalcifications, no significant difference was found between readers’ areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for DBT and FFDM (p = 0.068). The visibility scores of detected microcalcifications were 3.74 <span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">±</span></span></span> 1.06 for DBT and 3.46 <span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">±</span></span></span> 0.93 for FFDM, respectively. The visibility of microcalcifications when using DBT was found to be significantly superior to that of FFDM (p < 0.05). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Our results suggest that the image quality of DBT with a wide scan-angle is comparable or superior to that obtained with FFDM in terms of both visibility and assessment of microcalcifications.展开更多
Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of these two methods and focus on the analysis and management of the false-negative cases. Methods: Results of full field digital mammography (FFDM) and fine needle aspiration cytol...Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of these two methods and focus on the analysis and management of the false-negative cases. Methods: Results of full field digital mammography (FFDM) and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) were obtained and analyzed from a consecutive of 102 women with palpable breast masses, results were correlated with the histopathological findings. Results: Of the 102 cases, malignancy was confirmed in 43 cases (42.16%) by final pathological examination, the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection with FNA cytology was 90.7% (39/43) and 89.8% (53/59), re- spectively, the whole accuracy was 90.2% (92/102), with a positive predictive value of 86.7% (39/45) and a negative predictive value of 93.0% (53/57). FFDM gave a sensitivity of 88.4% (38/43), specificity of 83.1% (49/59), and whole accuracy 85.3% (87/102), the positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 79.2% (38/48) and 90.7% (49/54), respectively. All the FNAC-negative cancer cases were suggestive of malignancy by FFDM findings, however, the benign cases which present as equivocal finding by FNA cytology, could not be ruled out the presence of malignancy. Conclusion: FNAC and FFDM both are accurate, effective and economical diagnostic modalities, combined use of these two methods can reduced the misdiag- nosis rate of breast masses.展开更多
OBJECTIVE Different mammographic features are probably predictive of different prognosis. However, ambiguity still exists in understanding the relationship between them. In resent years, digital mammography has been a...OBJECTIVE Different mammographic features are probably predictive of different prognosis. However, ambiguity still exists in understanding the relationship between them. In resent years, digital mammography has been available for clinical use which has led to a revolution in the resolving of images and an increase in early-stage breast cancer detection. Based on the above knowledge, this study was performed to evaluate the relationship between full-field digital mammographic features and clinicopathologic characteristics in breast cancer. METHODS Digital mammograms of 176 patients with pathologically proven breast cancer were reviewed. Also, clinical and pathologic records (histological types and axillary lymph nodes status) were retrospectively examined. RESULTS Most of the patients with a solitary microcalcification were young women under the age of 50(84.4%), but the majority of the patients with microcalcifications complicated by a mass were elderly women. Microcalcifications detected by mammography occurred frequently in ductal carcinoma in situ (28.1%) and in early invasive carcinoma (15.6%). Breast cancers with expression of microcalcifications combined with a spiculate mass had a high metastatic rate of axillary lymph nodes (69.4%). A high metastatic rate of axillary lymph nodes was also found in the patients with solitary worm-like microcalcifications (57.1%), solitary spiculate mass (53.7%) and solitary non-worm-like microcalcifications (44.4%). Simple worm-like microcalcifications accompanied with metastasis of 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes occurred in 42.9% of the(6/14) cases. The patients with microcalcifications combined by a spiculate mass and with metastasis of 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes accounted for 27.8% (10/36) of the cases, and those with metastases of 10 and over accounted for 16.7% (6/36). CONCLUSION Solitary microcalcifications occur frequently in young women and are usually associated with early breast cancer. There is a close relationship between worm-like microcalcifications, a spiculate mass and positive metastases of axillary lymph nodes, which are an index of poor prognosis.展开更多
In this study different types of customized phantoms were used to examine a long term reproducibility check of a full field digital mammography system. These phantoms can be distinguished into three types: a PMMA (p...In this study different types of customized phantoms were used to examine a long term reproducibility check of a full field digital mammography system. These phantoms can be distinguished into three types: a PMMA (polimethylmethacrylate) object for an easy signal-to-noise ratio measurement in a defined region, a phantom with particular details of various dimensions (TORMAS) and a phantom for a contrast-detail analysis (CDMAM). In our center the ARTINIS ANALYZER software has been used since 2011 to weekly perform a CDMAM phantom analysis. This soitware is based on the original CDCOM algorithm suggested by the EUREF, the European Reference Organization for assured quality breast screening and diagnostic services. However the CDMAM phantom is a contrast-detail object designed for image quality type tests and not for long term reproducibility control. Since 2013, as suggested by the guidelines of Veneto region, a TORMAS weekly acquisition and analysis of data has also been performed. The purpose of this study is to discuss the data obtained by using the two different detail phantoms, CDMAM and TORMAS. These results can provide some correlations among the analyzed parameters comparing them with the ones emerging from the PMMA phantom analysis. The study reveals that the basic PMMA phantom is the object that provides the necessary information about the stability of the exposure parameters and the reproducibility of a mammographic equipment in terms of image quality indexes.展开更多
BACKGROUND The incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer in China rank 120th and 163rd,worldwide,respectively.The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise;the risk increases with age but is slightly reduced after...BACKGROUND The incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer in China rank 120th and 163rd,worldwide,respectively.The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise;the risk increases with age but is slightly reduced after menopause.Early screening,diagnosis,and timely determination of the best treatment plan can ensure clinical efficacy and prognosis.AIM To evaluate the clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) combined with digital breast tomosynthesis(DBT) in diagnosing early breast cancer and the effect of breast-conserving surgery by arc incision.METHODS This study was divided into two parts.Firstly,110 patients with early breast cancer confirmed by pathological examination and 110 with benign breast diseases diagnosed simultaneously in Changzhi People’s Hospital of Shanxi Province and Shanxi Dayi Hospital from May 2019 to September 2020 were included in the breast cancer group and the benign group,respectively.Both groups underwent DBT and MRI examination,and the pathological results were used as the gold standard to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined application of DBT and MRI in the diagnosis of early breast cancer.Secondly,according to the operation method,110 patients with breast cancer were divided into either a breast-conserving group(69 patients) or a modified radical mastectomy group(41 patients).The surgical effect,cosmetic effect,and quality of life of the two groups were compared.RESULTS Among the 110 cases of breast cancer,66 were of invasive ductal carcinoma(60.00%),and 22 were of ductal carcinoma in situ(20.00%).Among the 110 cases of benign breast tumors,55 were of breast fibromas(50.00%),and 27 were of breast adenosis(24.55%).The sensitivity,specificity,and area under the curve(AUC) of DBT in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 73.64%,84.55%,and 0.791,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,and AUC of MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 84.55%,85.45%,and 0.850,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,and AUC of DBT combined with MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 97.27%,93.64%,and 0.955,respectively.The blood loss,operation time and hospitalization time of the breast-conserving group were significantly lower than those of the modified radical treatment group,and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).After 3 mo of observation,the breast cosmetic effect of the breast-conserving group was better than that of the modified radical group,and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).Before surgery,the quality-of-life scores of the breast-conserving and modified radical mastectomy groups did not differ(P > 0.05).Three months after surgery,the quality-of-life scores in both groups were higher than those before surgery(P < 0.05),and the quality-of-life score of the breast-conserving group was higher than that of the modified radical group(P < 0.05).In the observation of tumor recurrence rate two years after the operation,four patients in the breast-conserving group and one in the modified radical treatment group had a postoperative recurrence.There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the two groups(χ2 = 0.668,P = 0.414 > 0.05).CONCLUSION MRI combined with DBT in diagnosing early breast cancer can significantly improve the diagnostic efficacy compared with the two alone.Breast-conserving surgery leads to better cosmetic breast effects and reduces the impact of surgery on postoperative quality of life.展开更多
An approach based on reinfocement learning for the automated segmentation is presented. The approach consists of two modules:segmentation module and learning module. The segmentation module uses the region-growing alg...An approach based on reinfocement learning for the automated segmentation is presented. The approach consists of two modules:segmentation module and learning module. The segmentation module uses the region-growing algorithm combined with the smooth filtering and the morphological filtering to segment mammograms. The learning module uses the segmentation output as the feedback to learn to select the optimal parameter settings of the segmentation algorithm according to the image properties using reinforcement learning techniques. The approach can adapt itself to various kinds of mammograms through training and therefore obviates the tedious and error-prone tuning of parameter settings manually. Quantitative test results show that the approach is accurate for several kinds of mammograms. Compared to previously proposed approaches,the approach is more adaptable to different mammograms.展开更多
Mammograms are the mainstay of diagnostic breast imaging and cancer</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> screening. Despite advances in techn...Mammograms are the mainstay of diagnostic breast imaging and cancer</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> screening. Despite advances in technology such as Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) and Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT), these imaging techniques are purely structural, and are unable to overcome shortcomings in mammo</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">graphy posed by dense breast parenchyma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (MRI) </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">is the most sensitive modality in breast imaging, due to </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">its </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">functional aspect</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s in addition to structural imaging with this modality. The use of MRI is however constrained by cost and availability. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">The </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">utilization of intravenous contrast with mammograms introduces a functional ele</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ment to imaging. This greatly improves the sensitivity of the examination,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> approaching sensitivity levels of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the detection of primary breast can</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">cer. With increased sensitivity afforded by assessment of tumor neo</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">vascularity, as well as its low cost, low energy</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">imaging that is more readily available than MRI, Contrast</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Enhanced Mammography (CEM) if more readily available than MRI, this imaging modality is a potential</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> game</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">changer in breast imaging. In this article, we share our experience in the use of CEM, for indications previously reserved for MRI, with </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">literature review of t</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">hese indications. In resonance with prior studies, we echo the ease of performing and reporting of CEM as well as greater patient comfort as the distinct advantages of CEM. In spite of slightly higher radiation dose and some risk</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> related to contrast media, functional results at </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">a </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">significantly lower cost may change h</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ow we practice breast imaging in </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">future using CEM.展开更多
目的 探讨单体位[头尾位(craniocaudal, CC)或内外侧斜位(mediolateral oblique, MLO)]数字化乳腺断层合成技术(digital breast tomosynthesis,DBT)联合全视野数字化乳腺X线摄影(full-fild digital mammography,FFDM)检查对乳腺癌的检...目的 探讨单体位[头尾位(craniocaudal, CC)或内外侧斜位(mediolateral oblique, MLO)]数字化乳腺断层合成技术(digital breast tomosynthesis,DBT)联合全视野数字化乳腺X线摄影(full-fild digital mammography,FFDM)检查对乳腺癌的检出率和诊断效能。方法 选取141例乳腺病变患者影像学资料,患者同时行乳腺DBT和FFDM检查。由2位放射科诊断医师分别对患者DBT图像进行单体位和双体位(CC+MLO)阅片并联合FFDM,以病理结果为金标准。分析单体位和双体位DBT检查联合FFDM检查对患者乳腺良恶性病灶的检出率及诊断效能。结果 141例患者按照ACR2013版BI-RADS系统分类标准:a类3例、b类40例、c类84例、d类14例。根据BI-RADS评级标准,2位放射科诊断医师采用四种诊断方式(DBT-CC,DBT-MLO及双体位DBT分别联合FFDM及单独FFDM)进行诊断。结论 采用DBT+FFDM的阅片方式无论是单体位还是双体位的结果假阳性率及假阴性率均低于FFDM,诊断的准确度、特异度及灵敏度均高于FFDM,对高/低年资诊断医师FFDM+DBT双体位的诊断效能高于单体位,在FFDM+DBT-CC和FFDM+DBT-MLO单体位之间准确度、灵敏度和特异度MLO均高于CC位。展开更多
Objective: To experimentally indicate a lower limit of dose in mammographic imaging yielding adequate image quality for complementary diagnostic views, by evaluation of image series with different exposure parameters ...Objective: To experimentally indicate a lower limit of dose in mammographic imaging yielding adequate image quality for complementary diagnostic views, by evaluation of image series with different exposure parameters and additional image processing on mastectomy specimens with diverse pathology. Methods: Image series were obtained on seven specimens with different target-filter combinations at different exposure values. Three experienced radiologists assessed the lowest acceptable dose level per specimen using a relative grading technique. With the standard image as reference, fibroglandular tissue and pathological structures, including microcalcifications, were evaluated. Subsequently, a series of pixel binning processes was tested and subjectively assessed on the selected images. Results: The lowest dose level at which image quality was acceptable, and achieved with a W/Ag target-filter combination at 32 kV and 4 mAs. These images can be acquired with 10.4% to 22.4% of the average glandular dose in standard images. Post process pixel binning added to the interpretability of such low dose images. Conclusion: This specimen study suggests that dose level of mammography images might be reduced substantially by general application of a W/Ag spectrum, particularly when combined with post process noise reduction. Future studies should focus on the feasibility of this technique in clinical mammography.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.82001775, 82371933)the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province of China (No.ZR2021MH120)+1 种基金the Special Fund for Breast Disease Research of Shandong Medical Association (No.YXH2021ZX055)the Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong Province of China (No.tsgn202211378)。
文摘Objective: Accurate detection and classification of breast lesions in early stage is crucial to timely formulate effective treatments for patients. We aim to develop a fully automatic system to detect and classify breast lesions using multiple contrast-enhanced mammography(CEM) images.Methods: In this study, a total of 1,903 females who underwent CEM examination from three hospitals were enrolled as the training set, internal testing set, pooled external testing set and prospective testing set. Here we developed a CEM-based multiprocess detection and classification system(MDCS) to perform the task of detection and classification of breast lesions. In this system, we introduced an innovative auxiliary feature fusion(AFF)algorithm that could intelligently incorporates multiple types of information from CEM images. The average freeresponse receiver operating characteristic score(AFROC-Score) was presented to validate system’s detection performance, and the performance of classification was evaluated by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC). Furthermore, we assessed the diagnostic value of MDCS through visual analysis of disputed cases,comparing its performance and efficiency with that of radiologists and exploring whether it could augment radiologists’ performance.Results: On the pooled external and prospective testing sets, MDCS always maintained a high standalone performance, with AFROC-Scores of 0.953 and 0.963 for detection task, and AUCs for classification were 0.909[95% confidence interval(95% CI): 0.822-0.996] and 0.912(95% CI: 0.840-0.985), respectively. It also achieved higher sensitivity than all senior radiologists and higher specificity than all junior radiologists on pooled external and prospective testing sets. Moreover, MDCS performed superior diagnostic efficiency with an average reading time of 5 seconds, compared to the radiologists’ average reading time of 3.2 min. The average performance of all radiologists was also improved to varying degrees with MDCS assistance.Conclusions: MDCS demonstrated excellent performance in the detection and classification of breast lesions,and greatly enhanced the overall performance of radiologists.
文摘<strong>Objective:</strong> To date, few studies have compared the diagnostic performance and visibility of microcalcifications obtained using digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) with those obtained from full-field digital mammography (FFDM). The visualization and characterization of microcalcifications with DBT remain controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the visibility of microcalcifications and determine whether DBT exhibits a diagnostic advantage for visualizing microcalcifications over FFDM.<strong> Methods: </strong>We retrospectively reviewed 120 cases including DBT and FFDM imaging (60 histologically verified as breast cancers and 60 as benign microcalcifications or normal). DBT images with a wide scan-angle of 50<span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">°</span></span> and FFDM images were obtained using a flat-panel system (MAMMOMAT Inspiration, Siemens). Images were independently reviewed by four board-certified radiologists and evaluated for the presence of microcalcifications, probability of malignancy (BI-RADS classification), and visibility. <strong>Results:</strong> In predicting the malignancy of detected microcalcifications, no significant difference was found between readers’ areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for DBT and FFDM (p = 0.068). The visibility scores of detected microcalcifications were 3.74 <span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">±</span></span></span> 1.06 for DBT and 3.46 <span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;"><span style="white-space:nowrap;">±</span></span></span> 0.93 for FFDM, respectively. The visibility of microcalcifications when using DBT was found to be significantly superior to that of FFDM (p < 0.05). <strong>Conclusion:</strong> Our results suggest that the image quality of DBT with a wide scan-angle is comparable or superior to that obtained with FFDM in terms of both visibility and assessment of microcalcifications.
文摘Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of these two methods and focus on the analysis and management of the false-negative cases. Methods: Results of full field digital mammography (FFDM) and fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) were obtained and analyzed from a consecutive of 102 women with palpable breast masses, results were correlated with the histopathological findings. Results: Of the 102 cases, malignancy was confirmed in 43 cases (42.16%) by final pathological examination, the sensitivity and specificity of cancer detection with FNA cytology was 90.7% (39/43) and 89.8% (53/59), re- spectively, the whole accuracy was 90.2% (92/102), with a positive predictive value of 86.7% (39/45) and a negative predictive value of 93.0% (53/57). FFDM gave a sensitivity of 88.4% (38/43), specificity of 83.1% (49/59), and whole accuracy 85.3% (87/102), the positive predictive value and negative predictive value was 79.2% (38/48) and 90.7% (49/54), respectively. All the FNAC-negative cancer cases were suggestive of malignancy by FFDM findings, however, the benign cases which present as equivocal finding by FNA cytology, could not be ruled out the presence of malignancy. Conclusion: FNAC and FFDM both are accurate, effective and economical diagnostic modalities, combined use of these two methods can reduced the misdiag- nosis rate of breast masses.
文摘OBJECTIVE Different mammographic features are probably predictive of different prognosis. However, ambiguity still exists in understanding the relationship between them. In resent years, digital mammography has been available for clinical use which has led to a revolution in the resolving of images and an increase in early-stage breast cancer detection. Based on the above knowledge, this study was performed to evaluate the relationship between full-field digital mammographic features and clinicopathologic characteristics in breast cancer. METHODS Digital mammograms of 176 patients with pathologically proven breast cancer were reviewed. Also, clinical and pathologic records (histological types and axillary lymph nodes status) were retrospectively examined. RESULTS Most of the patients with a solitary microcalcification were young women under the age of 50(84.4%), but the majority of the patients with microcalcifications complicated by a mass were elderly women. Microcalcifications detected by mammography occurred frequently in ductal carcinoma in situ (28.1%) and in early invasive carcinoma (15.6%). Breast cancers with expression of microcalcifications combined with a spiculate mass had a high metastatic rate of axillary lymph nodes (69.4%). A high metastatic rate of axillary lymph nodes was also found in the patients with solitary worm-like microcalcifications (57.1%), solitary spiculate mass (53.7%) and solitary non-worm-like microcalcifications (44.4%). Simple worm-like microcalcifications accompanied with metastasis of 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes occurred in 42.9% of the(6/14) cases. The patients with microcalcifications combined by a spiculate mass and with metastasis of 4 to 9 axillary lymph nodes accounted for 27.8% (10/36) of the cases, and those with metastases of 10 and over accounted for 16.7% (6/36). CONCLUSION Solitary microcalcifications occur frequently in young women and are usually associated with early breast cancer. There is a close relationship between worm-like microcalcifications, a spiculate mass and positive metastases of axillary lymph nodes, which are an index of poor prognosis.
文摘In this study different types of customized phantoms were used to examine a long term reproducibility check of a full field digital mammography system. These phantoms can be distinguished into three types: a PMMA (polimethylmethacrylate) object for an easy signal-to-noise ratio measurement in a defined region, a phantom with particular details of various dimensions (TORMAS) and a phantom for a contrast-detail analysis (CDMAM). In our center the ARTINIS ANALYZER software has been used since 2011 to weekly perform a CDMAM phantom analysis. This soitware is based on the original CDCOM algorithm suggested by the EUREF, the European Reference Organization for assured quality breast screening and diagnostic services. However the CDMAM phantom is a contrast-detail object designed for image quality type tests and not for long term reproducibility control. Since 2013, as suggested by the guidelines of Veneto region, a TORMAS weekly acquisition and analysis of data has also been performed. The purpose of this study is to discuss the data obtained by using the two different detail phantoms, CDMAM and TORMAS. These results can provide some correlations among the analyzed parameters comparing them with the ones emerging from the PMMA phantom analysis. The study reveals that the basic PMMA phantom is the object that provides the necessary information about the stability of the exposure parameters and the reproducibility of a mammographic equipment in terms of image quality indexes.
文摘BACKGROUND The incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer in China rank 120th and 163rd,worldwide,respectively.The incidence of breast cancer is on the rise;the risk increases with age but is slightly reduced after menopause.Early screening,diagnosis,and timely determination of the best treatment plan can ensure clinical efficacy and prognosis.AIM To evaluate the clinical value of magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) combined with digital breast tomosynthesis(DBT) in diagnosing early breast cancer and the effect of breast-conserving surgery by arc incision.METHODS This study was divided into two parts.Firstly,110 patients with early breast cancer confirmed by pathological examination and 110 with benign breast diseases diagnosed simultaneously in Changzhi People’s Hospital of Shanxi Province and Shanxi Dayi Hospital from May 2019 to September 2020 were included in the breast cancer group and the benign group,respectively.Both groups underwent DBT and MRI examination,and the pathological results were used as the gold standard to evaluate the effectiveness of the combined application of DBT and MRI in the diagnosis of early breast cancer.Secondly,according to the operation method,110 patients with breast cancer were divided into either a breast-conserving group(69 patients) or a modified radical mastectomy group(41 patients).The surgical effect,cosmetic effect,and quality of life of the two groups were compared.RESULTS Among the 110 cases of breast cancer,66 were of invasive ductal carcinoma(60.00%),and 22 were of ductal carcinoma in situ(20.00%).Among the 110 cases of benign breast tumors,55 were of breast fibromas(50.00%),and 27 were of breast adenosis(24.55%).The sensitivity,specificity,and area under the curve(AUC) of DBT in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 73.64%,84.55%,and 0.791,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,and AUC of MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 84.55%,85.45%,and 0.850,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,and AUC of DBT combined with MRI in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant breast tumors were 97.27%,93.64%,and 0.955,respectively.The blood loss,operation time and hospitalization time of the breast-conserving group were significantly lower than those of the modified radical treatment group,and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).After 3 mo of observation,the breast cosmetic effect of the breast-conserving group was better than that of the modified radical group,and the difference was statistically significant(P < 0.05).Before surgery,the quality-of-life scores of the breast-conserving and modified radical mastectomy groups did not differ(P > 0.05).Three months after surgery,the quality-of-life scores in both groups were higher than those before surgery(P < 0.05),and the quality-of-life score of the breast-conserving group was higher than that of the modified radical group(P < 0.05).In the observation of tumor recurrence rate two years after the operation,four patients in the breast-conserving group and one in the modified radical treatment group had a postoperative recurrence.There was no significant difference in the recurrence rate between the two groups(χ2 = 0.668,P = 0.414 > 0.05).CONCLUSION MRI combined with DBT in diagnosing early breast cancer can significantly improve the diagnostic efficacy compared with the two alone.Breast-conserving surgery leads to better cosmetic breast effects and reduces the impact of surgery on postoperative quality of life.
文摘An approach based on reinfocement learning for the automated segmentation is presented. The approach consists of two modules:segmentation module and learning module. The segmentation module uses the region-growing algorithm combined with the smooth filtering and the morphological filtering to segment mammograms. The learning module uses the segmentation output as the feedback to learn to select the optimal parameter settings of the segmentation algorithm according to the image properties using reinforcement learning techniques. The approach can adapt itself to various kinds of mammograms through training and therefore obviates the tedious and error-prone tuning of parameter settings manually. Quantitative test results show that the approach is accurate for several kinds of mammograms. Compared to previously proposed approaches,the approach is more adaptable to different mammograms.
文摘Mammograms are the mainstay of diagnostic breast imaging and cancer</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> screening. Despite advances in technology such as Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) and Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT), these imaging techniques are purely structural, and are unable to overcome shortcomings in mammo</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">graphy posed by dense breast parenchyma. Magnetic Resonance Imaging</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> (MRI) </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">is the most sensitive modality in breast imaging, due to </span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">its </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">functional aspect</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s in addition to structural imaging with this modality. The use of MRI is however constrained by cost and availability. </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">The </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">utilization of intravenous contrast with mammograms introduces a functional ele</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ment to imaging. This greatly improves the sensitivity of the examination,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> approaching sensitivity levels of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the detection of primary breast can</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">cer. With increased sensitivity afforded by assessment of tumor neo</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">vascularity, as well as its low cost, low energy</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> <span style="font-family:Verdana;">imaging that is more readily available than MRI, Contrast</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Enhanced Mammography (CEM) if more readily available than MRI, this imaging modality is a potential</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> game</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">-</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">changer in breast imaging. In this article, we share our experience in the use of CEM, for indications previously reserved for MRI, with </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the </span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;">literature review of t</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">hese indications. In resonance with prior studies, we echo the ease of performing and reporting of CEM as well as greater patient comfort as the distinct advantages of CEM. In spite of slightly higher radiation dose and some risk</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">s</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> related to contrast media, functional results at </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">a </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">significantly lower cost may change h</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">ow we practice breast imaging in </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">the </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">future using CEM.
文摘Objective: To experimentally indicate a lower limit of dose in mammographic imaging yielding adequate image quality for complementary diagnostic views, by evaluation of image series with different exposure parameters and additional image processing on mastectomy specimens with diverse pathology. Methods: Image series were obtained on seven specimens with different target-filter combinations at different exposure values. Three experienced radiologists assessed the lowest acceptable dose level per specimen using a relative grading technique. With the standard image as reference, fibroglandular tissue and pathological structures, including microcalcifications, were evaluated. Subsequently, a series of pixel binning processes was tested and subjectively assessed on the selected images. Results: The lowest dose level at which image quality was acceptable, and achieved with a W/Ag target-filter combination at 32 kV and 4 mAs. These images can be acquired with 10.4% to 22.4% of the average glandular dose in standard images. Post process pixel binning added to the interpretability of such low dose images. Conclusion: This specimen study suggests that dose level of mammography images might be reduced substantially by general application of a W/Ag spectrum, particularly when combined with post process noise reduction. Future studies should focus on the feasibility of this technique in clinical mammography.