Development of a 3D model of clinically relevant microcalcifications

A realistic 3D anthropomorphic software model of microcalcifications may serve as a useful tool to assess the performance of breast imaging applications through simulations. We present a method allowing to simulate visually realistic microcalcifications with large morphological variability. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to analyze the shape of 281 biopsied microcalcifications imaged with a micro-CT. The PCA analysis requires the same number of shape components for each input microcalcification. Therefore, the voxel-based microcalcifications were converted to a surface mesh with same number of vertices using a marching cube algorithm. The vertices were registered using an iterative closest point algorithm and a simulated annealing algorithm. To evaluate the approach, input microcalcifications were reconstructed by progressively adding principal components. Input and reconstructed microcalcifications were visually and quantitatively compared. New microcalcifications were simulated using randomly sampled principal components determined from the PCA applied to the input microcalcifications, and their realism was appreciated through visual assessment. Preliminary results have shown that input microcalcifications can be reconstructed with high visual fidelity when using 62 principal components, representing 99.5% variance. For that condition, the average L2 norm and dice coefficient were respectively 10.5 $\mu$m and 0.93. Newly generated microcalcifications with 62 principal components were found to be visually similar, while not identical, to input microcalcifications. The proposed PCA model of microcalcification shapes allows to successfully reconstruct input microcalcifications and to generate new visually realistic microcalcifications with various morphologies

Proceedings Virtual Imaging Trials in Medicine 2024

This submission comprises the proceedings of the 1st Virtual Imaging Trials in Medicine conference, organized by Duke University on April 22-24, 2024. The listed authors serve as the program directors for this conference. The VITM conference is a pioneering summit uniting experts from academia, industry and government in the fields of medical imaging and therapy to explore the transformative potential of in silico virtual trials and digital twins in revolutionizing healthcare. The proceedings are categorized by the respective days of the conference: Monday presentations, Tuesday presentations, Wednesday presentations, followed by the abstracts for the posters presented on Monday and Tuesday

A biomechanical breast model evaluated with respect to MRI data collected in three different positions

International audienceBackground: Mammography is a specific type of breast imaging that uses low-dose X-rays to detect cancer in early stage. During the exam, the women breast is compressed between two plates in order to even out the breast thickness and to spread out the soft tissues. This technique improves exam quality but can be uncomfortable for the patient. The perceived discomfort can be assessed by the means of a breast biomechanical model. Alternative breast compression techniques may be computationally investigated trough finite elements simulations.Methods: The aim of this work is to develop and evaluate a new biomechanical Finite Element (FE) breast model. The complex breast anatomy is considered including adipose and glandular tissues, muscle, skin, suspensory ligaments and pectoral fascias. Material hyper-elasticity is modeled using the Neo-Hookean material models. The stress-free breast geometry and subject-specific constitutive models are derived using tissues deformations measurements from MR images.Findings: The breast geometry in three breast configurations were computed using the breast stress-free geometry together with the estimated set of equivalent Young's modulus (Ebreast_r=0.3 kPa, Ebreast_l=0.2 kPa, Eskin=4 kPa, Efascia=120 kPa). The Hausdorff distance between estimated and measured breast geometries for prone, supine and supine tilted configurations is equal to 2.17 mm, 1.72mm and 5.90mm respectively.Interpretation: A subject-specific breast model allows a better characterization of breast mechanics. However, the model presents some limitations when estimating the supine tilted breast configuration. The results show clearly the difficulties to characterize soft tissues mechanics at large strain ranges with Neo-Hookean material models

BREAST BIOMECANICAL MODELING FOR COMPRESSION OPTIMIZATION IN DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS

International audienceMammography is a specific type of breast imaging that uses low-dose X-rays to detect cancer in early stage. During the exam, the women breast is compressed between two plates until a nearly uniform breast thickness is obtained. This technique improves image quality and reduces dose but can also be the source of discomfort and sometimes pain for the patient. Therefore, alternative techniques allowing reduced breast compression is of potential interest. The aim of this work is to develop a 3D biomechanical Finite Element (FE) breast model in order to analyze various breast compression strategies and their impact on image quality and radiation dose. Large breast deformations are simulated using this FE model with ANSYS software. A particular attention is granted to the computation of the residual stress in the model due to gravity and boundary conditions (thorax anatomy, position of the patient inside the MRI machine). Previously developed biomechanical breast models use a simplified breast anatomy by modeling adipose and fibroglandular tissues only (Rajagopal et al. in Wiley Interdiscip Rev: Syst Biol Med 2:293–304, 2010). However, breast reconstruction surgery has proven the importance of suspensory ligaments and breast fasciae on breast mechanics (Lockwood in Plast Reconstr Surg 103:1411–1420, 1999). We are therefore consider using a more realistic breast anatomy by including skin, muscles, and suspensory ligaments. The breast tissues are modeled as neo-Hookean materials. A physical correct modeling of the breast requires the knowledge of the stress-free breast configuration. Here, this undeformed shape (i.e., without any residual stress) is computed using the prediction–correction iterative scheme proposed by Eiben et al. (Ann of Biomed Eng 44:154–173, 2016). The unloading procedure uses the breast configuration in prone and supine position in order to find a unique displacement vector field induced by gravitational forces. The 3D breast geometry is reconstructed from MRI images that are segmented (Yushkevich et al. in Neuroimage 31:1116–1128, 2006) to differentiate the four main tissue types. The breast volume is discretized with a hexa-dominant FE meshing tool as a unique volume. Finally, the model is evaluated by comparing the estimated breast deformations under gravity load with the experimental ones measured in three body positions: prone, supine, and oblique supine

BREAST BIOMECANICAL MODELING FOR COMPRESSION OPTIMIZATION IN DIGITAL BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS

International audienceThe aim of this work is to develop a biomechanical Finite Element (FE) breast model in order to analyze different breast compression strategies and their impact on image quality. Large breast deformations will be simulated using this FE model. A particular attention will be granted to the computation of the initial stress in the model due to gravity and to boundary conditions imposed by the thorax anatomy. Finally, the model will be validated by comparing the estimated breast deformations under gravity load with the experimental ones measured in three body positions: prone, supine and oblique supine

Breast Percent Density: Estimation on Digital Mammograms and Central Tomosynthesis Projections

Purpose: To evaluate inter- and intrareader agreement in breast percent density (PD) estimation on clinical digital mammograms and central digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) projection images

Simulation of breast compression using a new biomechanical model

International audienceMammography is currently the primary imaging modality for breast cancer screening and plays an important role in cancer diagnostics. A standard mammographic image acquisition always includes the compression of the breast prior x-ray exposure. The breast is compressed between two plates (the image receptor and the compression paddle) until a nearly uniform breast thickness is obtained. The breast flattening improves diagnostic image quality 1 and reduces the absorbed dose 2. However, this technique can also be a source of discomfort and might deter some women from attending breast screening by mammography 3,4. Therefore, the characterization of the pain perceived during breast compression is of potential interest to compare different compression approaches. The aim of this work is to develop simulation tools enabling the characterization of existing breast compression techniques in terms of patient comfort, dose delivered to the patient and resulting image quality. A 3D biomechanical model of the breast was developed providing physics-based predictions of tissue motion and internal stress and strain intensity. The internal stress and strain intensity are assumed to be directly correlated with the patient discomfort. The resulting compressed breast model is integrated in an image simulation framework to assess both image quality and average glandular dose. We present the results of compression simulations on two breast geometries, under different compression paddles (flex or rigid)