Researcher Presents Seminar on Optimal Breast Imaging Radiation at SPIE Conference

A researcher from Mayo Clinic presented a seminar on ‘Development of radiation dose reduction techniques for cadmium zinc telluride detectors in molecular breast imaging’ at the SPIE annual meeting. Michael O’Connor, who gave the presentation on August 5, used the works of Mayo Clinic researchers namely Deborah Rhodes, Armando Manduca, and Carrie Hruska.

According to O’Connor, cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) semiconductor imaging enables closer imaging of the breast tissue and can be conducted at room temperature. Previous test results of the testing conducted at the Mayo Clinic showed that the Tc-99m tracer material gets added up in cancer cells, but  the breast density does not affect the Tc-99m material. Radiation is the demerit of the TC-99m radioactive isotope and other CZT imaging techniques.

In the beginning, the Mayo Clinic utilized a standard dosage of 25 millicuries radiation. However, over a period of 40 years the accumulated radiation results in a mortality rate of about 10 times greater than digital mammography. The clinic initiated a program for dose minimization of in the range of 2 to 4 millicuries, and maintaining a proper sensitivity level for early detection. Researchers analyzed and developed four-dosage reduction schemes namely energy window optimization, composite imaging, and noise reduction algorithms for opposite detectors.

Along with a range of enhancements, the radiation’s standard dose was minimized from 25 to 8 millicuries. Radiation at a dosage of 4 millicuries detected small tumors. The dosage of two millicuries produced significant results. However, the researchers were not satisfied with results.