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Comparing synthetic mammograms based on wide-angle digital breast tomosynthesis with digital mammograms

Dustler, Magnus LU orcid ; Hellgren, Gustav LU orcid and Timberg, Pontus LU (2025) In Journal of Medical Imaging 12.
Abstract

Purpose: We aim to investigate the characteristics and evaluate the performance of synthetic mammograms (SMs) based on wide-angle digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) compared with digital mammography (DM). Approach: Fifty cases with both synthetic and digital mammograms were selected from the Malmö Breast Tomosynthesis Screening Trial. They were categorized into five groups consisting of normal cases and recalled cases with false-positive and true-positive findings from DM and DBT only. The DBT system used was a wide-angle (WA) system from Siemens, and the SM images were reconstructed from the DBT images. Visual grading, detection, and recall were evaluated by experienced breast radiologists in both SM and DM images. Results: Some image... (More)

Purpose: We aim to investigate the characteristics and evaluate the performance of synthetic mammograms (SMs) based on wide-angle digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) compared with digital mammography (DM). Approach: Fifty cases with both synthetic and digital mammograms were selected from the Malmö Breast Tomosynthesis Screening Trial. They were categorized into five groups consisting of normal cases and recalled cases with false-positive and true-positive findings from DM and DBT only. The DBT system used was a wide-angle (WA) system from Siemens, and the SM images were reconstructed from the DBT images. Visual grading, detection, and recall were evaluated by experienced breast radiologists in both SM and DM images. Results: Some image quality criteria of the SM images were rated as qualitatively inferior to DM images. However, reader-averaged diagnostic accuracy (0.57 versus 0.55), sensitivity (0.46 versus 0.50), and specificity (0.64 versus 0.58) were not significantly different between SM and DM, respectively Conclusions: Synthetic mammography plays a promising role to complement or even replace DM. The study could not find any indications of substantial differences in the sensitivity or specificity of SM for WA DBT systems compared with DM. However, certain image quality criteria of SM fall slightly short compared with DM images. Next-generation DBT systems could address such limitations through improved reconstruction algorithms and system design, and their performance should be the focus of future research studies.

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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
digital breast tomosynthesis, digital mammography, prior mammography, synthetic mammography, visual grading, visual grading characteristic
in
Journal of Medical Imaging
volume
12
article number
S13011
publisher
SPIE
external identifiers
  • scopus:105007041770
  • pmid:39840005
ISSN
2329-4302
DOI
10.1117/1.JMI.12.S1.S13011
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
dfa12807-f8fe-4fec-b9d6-3f63d954eb50
date added to LUP
2025-09-18 12:19:22
date last changed
2025-10-30 17:08:53
@article{dfa12807-f8fe-4fec-b9d6-3f63d954eb50,
  abstract     = {{<p>Purpose: We aim to investigate the characteristics and evaluate the performance of synthetic mammograms (SMs) based on wide-angle digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) compared with digital mammography (DM). Approach: Fifty cases with both synthetic and digital mammograms were selected from the Malmö Breast Tomosynthesis Screening Trial. They were categorized into five groups consisting of normal cases and recalled cases with false-positive and true-positive findings from DM and DBT only. The DBT system used was a wide-angle (WA) system from Siemens, and the SM images were reconstructed from the DBT images. Visual grading, detection, and recall were evaluated by experienced breast radiologists in both SM and DM images. Results: Some image quality criteria of the SM images were rated as qualitatively inferior to DM images. However, reader-averaged diagnostic accuracy (0.57 versus 0.55), sensitivity (0.46 versus 0.50), and specificity (0.64 versus 0.58) were not significantly different between SM and DM, respectively Conclusions: Synthetic mammography plays a promising role to complement or even replace DM. The study could not find any indications of substantial differences in the sensitivity or specificity of SM for WA DBT systems compared with DM. However, certain image quality criteria of SM fall slightly short compared with DM images. Next-generation DBT systems could address such limitations through improved reconstruction algorithms and system design, and their performance should be the focus of future research studies.</p>}},
  author       = {{Dustler, Magnus and Hellgren, Gustav and Timberg, Pontus}},
  issn         = {{2329-4302}},
  keywords     = {{digital breast tomosynthesis; digital mammography; prior mammography; synthetic mammography; visual grading; visual grading characteristic}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{SPIE}},
  series       = {{Journal of Medical Imaging}},
  title        = {{Comparing synthetic mammograms based on wide-angle digital breast tomosynthesis with digital mammograms}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.JMI.12.S1.S13011}},
  doi          = {{10.1117/1.JMI.12.S1.S13011}},
  volume       = {{12}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}