Optimizing breast-tomosynthesis acquisition parameters with scanning model observers

H. C. Gifford; C. S. Didier; Mini Das; S. J. Glick

doi:10.1117/12.771018

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6 March 2008 Optimizing breast-tomosynthesis acquisition parameters with scanning model observers

H. C. Gifford, C. S. Didier, Mini Das, S. J. Glick

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Proceedings Volume 6917, Medical Imaging 2008: Image Perception, Observer Performance, and Technology Assessment; 69170S (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.771018
Event: Medical Imaging, 2008, San Diego, California, United States

Abstract

In breast tomosynthesis (BT), multiple x-ray projections obtained over a limited angular span are reconstructed to produce a three-dimensional (3D) volume. This 3D imagery can lead to reduced structural masking effects compared to conventional mammography. Accordingly, there has been considerable interest in optimizing acquisition and reconstruction parameters associated with BT. In this work, we evaluate the use of a scanning model observer and localization ROC (LROC) methodology for performing a task-based optimization of the angular span and number of projection angles for a simulated BT system. The observer was applied to extracted slices of 3D volumes reconstructed with filtered backprojection. Both "background-known-exactly" (BKE) and "quasi-BKE" (QBKE) tasks were conducted. The latter task attempts to account for limited observer training by preserving structural noise in the detection task. Reduced noise in the form of fewer projections was important with the BKE task, although wider angular spans were also advantageous. Higher sampling densities may improve performance for the more-realistic QBKE tasks.

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H. C. Gifford, C. S. Didier, Mini Das, and S. J. Glick "Optimizing breast-tomosynthesis acquisition parameters with scanning model observers", Proc. SPIE 6917, Medical Imaging 2008: Image Perception, Observer Performance, and Technology Assessment, 69170S (6 March 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.771018

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