Maximizing microcalcification detectability in low-dose dedicated cone-beam breast CT: parallel cascades-based theoretical analysis.

Purpose: We aim to determine the combination of X-ray spectrum and detector scintillator thickness that maximizes the detectability of microcalcification clusters in dedicated cone-beam breast CT.

Approach: A cascaded linear system analysis was implemented in the spatial frequency domain and was used to determine the detectability index using numerical observers for the imaging task of detecting a microcalcification cluster with 0.17 mm diameter calcium carbonate spheres. The analysis considered a thallium-doped cesium iodide scintillator coupled to a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor detector and an analytical filtered-back-projection reconstruction algorithm. Independent system parameters considered were the scintillator thickness, applied X-ray tube voltage, and X-ray beam filtration. The combination of these parameters that maximized the detectability index was considered optimal.

Results: Prewhitening, nonprewhitening, and nonprewhitening with eye filter numerical observers indicate that the combination of 0.525 to 0.6 mm thick scintillator, 70 kV, and 0.25 to 0.4 mm added copper filtration maximized the detectability index at a mean glandular dose (MGD) of 4.5 mGy.

Conclusion: Using parallel cascade systems' analysis, the combination of parameters that could maximize the detection of microcalcifications was identified. The analysis indicates that a harder beam than that used in current practice may be beneficial for the task of detecting microcalcifications at an MGD suitable for breast cancer screening.