Digital mammography with multi-electrode ionization chamber

For viewing micro-calcifications smaller than 100 mu m investigation of image formation in mammography shows that a significant dose to the patient is imperative. We propose a novel one-dimensional Multi- electrode Ionisation Chamber (MIC), with high spatial resolution, and lowered doses. In this work, first results from a prototype are presented. High spatial resolution is demonstrated working with Xe mixture at high pressure. An addition of a Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) allowed an improvement in sensitivity up to almost single- photon level. (8 refs)