Tomosynthesis Imaging Imaging in Medical Diagnosis and Therapy Series

An innovative, three-dimensional x-ray imaging technique that enhances projection radiography by adding depth resolution, Tomosynthesis Imaging explores tomosynthesis, an emerging limited-angle tomographic imaging technology that is being considered for use in a range of clinical applications, and is currently being used for breast cancer screening and diagnosis. While conventional mammography has been very successful in reducing breast cancer mortality, it is not perfect. A major limitation of mammography is that the recorded image represents the superposition of complex three-dimensional structures in the breast onto a two-dimensional plane, making detection and diagnosis of breast cancer challenging.

Tomosynthesis produces quasi-three-dimensional images that can significantly enhance the visualization of important diagnostic features. This book highlights the flexibility of tomosynthesis systems for new clinical applications, and provides a detailed discussion of the tomosynthesis acquisition process and the impact of physical factors. It explores such topics as acquisition parameters, system components, modeling, image reconstruction algorithms, and system evaluation.

• Provides in-depth coverage of system design considerations, as well as image reconstruction strategies
• Describes the current state of clinical applications of tomosynthesis, including imaging of the breast and chest, as well as its use in radiotherapy
• Illustrates the merits of tomosynthesis imaging and its potential clinical applications in imaging of the breast and chest, as well as for radiation therapy

Divided into five sections, this text delves into the history and development of tomosynthesis. It introduces tomosynthesis imaging, discusses imaging system design considerations, and reviews image reconstruction algorithms that have been developed for tomosynthesis. It also describes system evaluation methodologies, emphasizes current clinical applications, and examines the future direction for tomosynthesis.

Section I Introduction. The history of tomosynthesis. Section II System Design. System design and acquisition parameters for breast tomosynthesis. Detectors for tomosynthesis. Patient dose. Tomosynthesis with circular orbits. Tomosynthesis system modeling. Section III Image Reconstruction. Filtered back projection-based methods for tomosynthesis image reconstruction. Iterative image reconstruction design for digital breast tomosynthesis. Section IV System Performance. Fourier-domain methods for optimization of tomosynthesis (NEQ). Spatial-domain model observers for optimizing tomosynthesis. Observer experiments with tomosynthesis. section V Clinical Applications. Clinical applications of breast tomosynthesis. Chest tomosynthesis. Tomosynthesis applications in radiation oncology. Future developments in breast tomosynthesis. Index.

Ingrid Reiser, PhD, is a research associate (assistant professor) in the Department of Radiology at the University of Chicago. After receiving her PhD in physics from Kansas State University in 2002, she transitioned into medical physics research where she witnessed the presentation of the first breast tomosynthesis images at RSNA 2002 (Radiological Society of North America). Tomosynthesis captivated her interest and she has since investigated many aspects of tomosynthesis imaging, such as computer-aided detection, system modeling, and objective assessment. Her research interests further include image perception and observer performance, as well as tomosynthesis and CT image reconstruction.

Stephen J. Glick