Comparison of Mass Size Measurements: Synthesized Mammography Versus Full-Field Digital Mammography

Diagnostic value of digital breast tomosynthesis and synthetic images in patients with breast cancer

Background

Different imaging techniques are used in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The low sensitivity of mammography to detect cancer in the dense breast parenchyma and the lack of standard application of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) are some of the problems. Therefore, breast cancer imaging techniques should be compared in terms of conspicuity and characterization of lesions.

Aim

Full-field digital mammography (DM) and synthetic mammography (SM) which are obtained from the slices of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) give similar results in terms of conspicuity and characterization of the lesions in detecting breast cancer.

Patients and Methods

In this retrospective study, 47 women diagnosed with breast cancer were included in the study. DM, SM, and DBT images were evaluated by scoring the conspicuity of the index lesion in the parenchyma and its characterization in terms of contour and shape with a 4-point scale. In addition, the conspicuity of the lesions in relation to lesion size and breast density was examined with these three techniques.

Results

There is no significant difference between DM and SM techniques for index lesion conspicuity and characterization; however, the imaging score of DBT is significantly higher than other techniques for the conspicuity and characterization of the lesions. In terms of the conspicuity of the lesions in relation to lesion size, DM and SM techniques show significant difference according to the size of the lesion, whereas the DBT technique did not show significant difference. While mammography type is a determinant of lesion conspicuity in only DM and SM techniques, conspicuity findings do not differ significantly in the DBT technique.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it was shown that standard images and SM images obtained from DBT did not differ significantly in terms of conspicuity and characterization of lesions. Thus, DBT is significantly superior to the DM and SM images. While the DM and SM images are more successful in showing large lesions and lesion detection in nondense breasts, DBT images were not affected by lesion size and breast density.

Synthetic Mammography: Review of Benefits and Drawbacks in Clinical Use

Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has been widely adopted as a breast cancer screening tool, demonstrating decreased recall rates and other improved screening performance metrics when compared to digital mammography (DM) alone. Drawbacks of DBT when added to 2D DM include the increased radiation dose and longer examination time. Synthetic mammography (SM), a 2D reconstruction from the tomosynthesis slices, has been introduced to eliminate the need for a separate acquisition of 2D DM. Data show that the replacement of 2D DM by SM, when used with DBT, maintains the benefits of DBT, such as decreased recall rates, improved cancer detection rates, and similar positive predictive values. Key differences between SM and 2D DM include how the image is acquired, assessment of breast density, and visualization of mammographic findings, such as calcifications. Although SM is approved by the Food and Drug Administration and has been shown to be non-inferior when used with DBT, concerns surrounding SM include image quality and artifacts. The purpose of this review article is to review the benefits, drawbacks, and screening performance metrics of SM versus DBT.