Method for Simulating Dose Reduction in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

• Grant number: 16/25750-0
• Support type: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: June 01, 2017 - May 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Biomedical Engineering - Medical Engineering
• Principal researcher: Marcelo Andrade da Costa Vieira
• Grantee: Marcelo Andrade da Costa Vieira
• Home Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Assoc. researchers: Alessandro Foi ; Andrew Douglas Arnold Maidment ; Lucas Rodrigues Borges ; Predrag Bakic

Abstract

The goal of this project is to develop a practical and accurate method for simulating dose reduction in digital breast tomosynthesis images (DBT). DBT is a new imaging modality that provides a 3D reconstruction of the breast anatomy. The 3D visualization of the breast anatomy through DBT minimizes issues related to tissue overlap and thus allows better rates of detection and characterization of lesions. Recent studies have shown that DBT yields higher sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional 2D mammography, and may substitute 2D mammography in breast cancer screening. However, during the exam the patient is exposed to small doses of radiation. Thus, it is important to reach an optimized relation between image quality and radiation dose, respecting the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle. To conduct studies about the optimal operation point, it is common to perform the injection of quantum noise in clinical images to simulate the quality of lower-dose images. However, standard methods described in the literature are not appropriate for DBT images, due to differences in the acquisition process and geometry. Thus, the studies that explore the operation point of DBT systems, in terms of radiation dose, are limited. This project proposes the development of a simulation method specifically designed for DBT images. It will incorporate properties such as the electronic noise, spatial and frequency dependency of the noise. This will be achieved by using a novel concept of noise insertion on a variance-stabilizing domain, as proposed in previous work published by our group. Additionally, the proposed method will be validated using human observer experiments and clinical images from patients. By the end of this project, our goal is to conduct a final study about the limits of dose savings in DBT through the reduction of radiation dose. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

BORGES, LUCAS R.; BARUFALDI, BRUNO; CARON, RENATO F.; BAKIC, PREDRAG R.; FOI, ALESSANDRO; MAIDMENT, ANDREW D. A.; VIEIRA, MARCELO A. C. Technical Note: Noise models for virtual clinical trials of digital breast tomosynthesis. Medical Physics, v. 46, n. 6, p. 2683-2689, JUN 2019. Web of Science Citations: 0.

BORGES, LUCAS R.; AZZARI, LUCIO; BAKIC, PREDRAG R.; MAIDMENT, ANDREW D. A.; VIEIRA, MARCELO A. C.; FOI, ALESSANDRO. Restoration of low-dose digital breast tomosynthesis. MEASUREMENT SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, v. 29, n. 6 JUN 2018. Web of Science Citations: 6.

BORGES, LUCAS R.; GUERRERO, IGOR; BAKIC, PREDRAG R.; FOI, ALESSANDRO; MAIDMENT, ANDREW D. A.; VIEIRA, MARCELO A. C. Method for Simulating Dose Reduction in Digital Breast Tomosynthesis. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MEDICAL IMAGING, v. 36, n. 11, p. 2331-2342, NOV 2017. Web of Science Citations: 7.