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ePaper created 2015-01-06, 15:49:55 | version 1.34.00
Breast tomosynthesis is a screening and diagnostic modality that acquires images of a breast at multiple angles during a short scan. The individual images are then reconstructed into a series of thin, high-resolution slic- es typically 1mm thick, which can be displayed individually or in a dynamic ciné mode. Tomosynthesis has been available in Europe and other coun- tries recognising the CE Mark since 2008. In February 2011, the Hologic Selenia® Dimensions® breast tomo- synthesis system was the first commer- cial system of its kind approved by the United States Food and Drug Adminis- tration (FDA). The system is approved for use in the same clinical indications as 2D mammography, including breast cancer screening, diagnosis and inter- vention. A tomosynthesis data set greatly reduc- es detection challenges associated with overlapping structures in the breast, which is the primary drawback of conventional 2D analogue and digital Advances in breast tomosynthesis By: Andrew Smith, PhD, Vice President, Imaging Science, Hologic, Inc., Bedford, MA, USA mammography RadBook 2014 82 mammography. In clinical use, breast tomosynthesis offers significant bene- fits, including increased cancer detec- tion*, decreased recall rates*, help in localising structures in the breast* and improved lesion and margin visibility*. Clinical performance of breast tomosynthesis The performance of tomosynthesis has been evaluated in a number of ven- ues, including large screening trials in Europe and in the US by monitoring performance before and after the in- troduction of tomosynthesis into rou- tine clinical practice. The results are consistent across the studies; breast to- mosynthesis used in combination with 2D mammography increases invasive cancer detection rates* and results in a significant reduction in false positive recalls*. Advanced applications in breast to- mosynthesis The growing adoption of tomosyn- thesis in clinical use creates an oppor- tunity for technological evolutions that may be useful in streamlining work- flow, reducing dose and improving diagnostic accuracy. Two of the recent advances in tomosynthesis applica- tions are discussed in the following sections.