A new breast tomosynthesis imaging method : Continuous Sync-and-Shoot - technical feasibility and initial experience

Background Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is gaining popularity in breast imaging. There are several different technical approaches for conducting DBT imaging. Purpose To determine optimal imaging parameters, test patient friendliness, evaluate the initial diagnostic performance, and describe diagnostic advances possible with the new Continuous Sync-and-Shoot method. Material and Methods Thirty-six surgical breast specimens were imaged with digital mammography (DM) and a prototype of a DBT system (Planmed Oy, Helsinki, Finland). We tested the patient friendliness of the sync-and-shoot movement without radiation exposure in eight volunteers. Different imaging parameters were tested with 20 specimens to identify the optimal combination: angular range 30 degrees, 40 degrees, and 60 degrees; pixel binning; Rhodium (Rh) and Silver (Ag) filtrations; and different kV and mAs values. Two breast radiologists evaluated 16 DM and DBT image pairs and rated six different image properties. Imaging modalities were compared with paired t-test. Results The Continuous Sync-and-Shoot method produced diagnostically valid images. Five out of eight volunteers felt no/minimal discomfort, three experienced mild discomfort from the tilting movement of the detector, with the motion being barely recognized. The combination of 30 degrees, Ag filtering, and 2 x 2 pixel binning produced the best image quality at an acceptable dose level. DBT was significantly better in all six evaluated properties (P <0.05). Mean Dose(DBT)/Dose(DM) ratio was 1.22 (SD = 0.42). Conclusion The evaluated imaging method is feasible for imaging and analysing surgical breast specimens and DBT is significantly better than DM in image evaluation.Peer reviewe

Three-Dimensional (3D) Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) in the Early Diagnosis and Detection of Breast Cancer

Two-dimensional (2D) mammography plays a most important role in all aspects of breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. Although it is well known that 2D mammography has limitations and it is not capable of detecting all breast cancers, there is no question that mammography is an important imaging technique for detecting and diagnosing breast cancer. Challenges of 2D mammography are structured noise which is created by the overlap of normal dense tissue structures within the breast. This may obscure the findings causing lesions to be missed (reduction of diagnostic sensitivity). Breast tissue may also simulate the presence of a cancer that does not actually exist. This causes a loss of diagnostic specificity. Currently 2D mammography is the only x-ray imaging modality accepted for breast cancer screening, but for years researchers have tried to find improved technologies and new methods to supplement 2D mammography and provide better sensitivity and specificity. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a method that was first described many years ago, but could not be easily applied until the development of fast read-out digital detectors. The goal of breast tomosynthesis is to make available a method for screening and diagnostic mammography which provides higher sensitivity and specificity than routine mammography. This study presents digital breast tomosynthesis in diagnostic mammography by comparing digital breast tomosynthesis and screen-film or digital mammograms clinical performance, evaluates Tuned Aperture Computed Tomography (TACT) capability as a 3D breast reconstruction algorithm in the limited angle tomosynthesis system, and demonstrates technical and clinical performance of a real-time amorphous-selenium (a-Se) flat-panel detector (FPD) in full field digital breast tomosynthesis. The analyses of breast tomosynthesis have shown the following clinical benefits: improvement of overall lesion detection and analysis, increased accuracy to either confirm or exclude a suspected abnormality and in particular detection capability of small breast cancers. The results indicate that breast tomosynthesis has the potential to significantly advance diagnostic mammography, as well as screening mammography in the future. Tomosynthesis studies have already shown a promise. Based on this clinical study, tomosynthesis of the breast will increase specificity. Study also suggests that tomosynthesis might facilitate the detection of cancers at an earlier stage and a smaller size than is possible in 2D mammography. Digital breast tomosynthesis is a new breast imaging modality which has proved to have advantages over 2D mammography. Breast tomosynthesis will lead to the earlier breast cancer detection and diagnosis and will keep the false positive rate as low as possible. Keywords: digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), breast cancer, three-dimensional (3D), tuned aperture computed tomography (TACT), amorphous selenium (a-Se), digital mammography (DM), flat panel detector (FPD

Three-Dimensional (3D) Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) in the Early Diagnosis and Detection of Breast Cancer

Two-dimensional (2D) mammography plays a most important role in all aspects of breast cancer detection, diagnosis and treatment. Although it is well known that 2D mammography has limitations and it is not capable of detecting all breast cancers, there is no question that mammography is an important imaging technique for detecting and diagnosing breast cancer. Challenges of 2D mammography are structured noise which is created by the overlap of normal dense tissue structures within the breast. This may obscure the findings causing lesions to be missed (reduction of diagnostic sensitivity). Breast tissue may also simulate the presence of a cancer that does not actually exist. This causes a loss of diagnostic specificity. Currently 2D mammography is the only x-ray imaging modality accepted for breast cancer screening, but for years researchers have tried to find improved technologies and new methods to supplement 2D mammography and provide better sensitivity and specificity. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is a method that was first described many years ago, but could not be easily applied until the development of fast read-out digital detectors. The goal of breast tomosynthesis is to make available a method for screening and diagnostic mammography which provides higher sensitivity and specificity than routine mammography. This study presents digital breast tomosynthesis in diagnostic mammography by comparing digital breast tomosynthesis and screen-film or digital mammograms clinical performance, evaluates Tuned Aperture Computed Tomography (TACT) capability as a 3D breast reconstruction algorithm in the limited angle tomosynthesis system, and demonstrates technical and clinical performance of a real-time amorphous-selenium (a-Se) flat-panel detector (FPD) in full field digital breast tomosynthesis. The analyses of breast tomosynthesis have shown the following clinical benefits: improvement of overall lesion detection and analysis, increased accuracy to either confirm or exclude a suspected abnormality and in particular detection capability of small breast cancers. The results indicate that breast tomosynthesis has the potential to significantly advance diagnostic mammography, as well as screening mammography in the future. Tomosynthesis studies have already shown a promise. Based on this clinical study, tomosynthesis of the breast will increase specificity. Study also suggests that tomosynthesis might facilitate the detection of cancers at an earlier stage and a smaller size than is possible in 2D mammography. Digital breast tomosynthesis is a new breast imaging modality which has proved to have advantages over 2D mammography. Breast tomosynthesis will lead to the earlier breast cancer detection and diagnosis and will keep the false positive rate as low as possible. Keywords: digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), breast cancer, three-dimensional (3D), tuned aperture computed tomography (TACT), amorphous selenium (a-Se), digital mammography (DM), flat panel detector (FPD

Kokemuksia sosionomikoulutuksen kansainvälisen opiskelijavaihdon pilotoinnista – Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulun opiskelijaryhmän ja lehtorien matkassa

Tässä julkaisussa kuvataan lyhytaikaisen ja yhteisöllisen kansainvälisen opiskelijavaihdon pilotointia osana sosionomikoulutuksen monimuoto-opetusta. Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulun strategisista teemoista toteutuivat muun muassa yhteisöllinen, kansainvälinen sekä soveltavan tutkimuksen osaamisen kehittävä korkeakoulu. Kansanvälinen ryhmämuotoinen opiskelijavaihto suuntautui Milanossa järjestettyyn European Conference for Social Work Research konferenssiin ja se toteutettiin tiimioppimisen ja valmentajan pedagogiikan keinoin. Julkaisussa kuvataan opintomatka oppimisprosessina, joka etenee suunnittelun ja toteutuksen kautta arviointiin. Sosionomiopiskelijat jaettiin konferenssiohjelman sekä oman urasuunnittelun mukaisesti teematiimeihin, jotka jakoivat omaa oppimistaan, ammatillista reflektointia ja uutta tutkimustietoa edelleen muille opiskelijoille tiimioppimisen periaatteilla. Tähän julkaisuun ovat osallistuneet lehtorit sekä sosionomiopiskelijat