Analysis of dual-energy mammography subtraction technique for the dose and image quality evaluation using 3D-printed breast phantom

This study aimed to quantitatively assess the radiation dose using XR-QA2 and the image quality of the dual-energy subtraction mammography technique on an in-house phantom. The analysis was carried out to investigate the effect of targets/filters on dose value and image quality using an in-house phantom made of PLA + as an object representing compressed breasts. All irradiation parameters were performed in the craniocaudal position with manual mode. Mean glandular dose (MGD) was recorded, followed by the calculation of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and modulation transfer function (MTF) for image quality assessment parameters. The results showed that the image quality was accepted at dose levels within the IAEA and BAPETEN tolerance limit for 60 mm equivalent compressed breast using dual-energy mammography. Furthermore, the target/filter (W/Rh) reduced the dose by 1.03 mGy compared to the Mo/Mo and Mo/Rh with an enhancement in image quality. This indicated that the target/filter (W/Rh) combination was optimal due to the image quality improvement obtained with lower MGD.