Optimization of configuration parameters in a newly developed digital breast tomosynthesis system

The purpose of the present work was to investigate the effects of variable projection-view (PV) and angular dose (AD) distributions on the reconstructed image quality for improving microcalcification detection. The PV densities at central and peripheral sites were varied through the distribution of 21 PVs acquired over ±25° angular range. To vary the AD distribution, 7 PVs in the central region were targeted with two, four and six times the peripheral dose, and the number of central PVs receiving four times the peripheral dose was increased from 3 to 11. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) for in-focus plane quality and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of artifact spread function (ASF) for resolution in the z-direction were used. Although the ASF improved with increasing PV densities at two peripheral sites, the CNRs were inferior to those obtained with other subsets. With increasing PV density in the central area, the vertical resolution decreased but the CNR increased. Although increasing the central PV or AD concentrations improved image quality, excessive central densities reduced image quality by increasing noise in peripheral views.