Digital mammography with multi-electrode ionization chamber

For viewing micro-calcifications smaller than 100 mum 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. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.