Abstract:
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Purpose: A pilot study was undertaken by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the Inter-American College of Radiology to evaluate the image quality and the average glandular dose of mammography units in countries of the Americas, following US MQSA standards. The study was performed in collaboration with the Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (IRD), Brazil, and the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), USA.
Methods and Materials: Participation in the study was voluntary and offered to all the countries of the Americas. Each country nominated a Mammography Coordinator who identified participating facilities and distributed and collected phantoms and dosimeters with the corresponding data sheets. Image quality was assessed with an ACR phantom. Phantom images were double read by PAHO and by the CDRH. Doses were determined by the IRD. Average glandular doses were derived from surface dose measurements, made with TLD (LiF 100H), and from nominal technique factors and x-ray tube target/filter combinations recorded in each facility at the time of the measurements. Data from 61 units in 11 Latin American and Caribbean countries were collected and analyzed by the authors. Compliance criteria for both imaging and dose were those of the MQSA program.
Results: 88% of the units evaluated complied with the overall MQSA phantom score requirement. 94% of the units met the minimum fiber score required and 77% of them exceeded it. The comparable values for speck scores were 89% and 47%. For masses, they were 91% and 80%. 38% of the films exhibited processing artifacts. Most of the artifacts were the cause for the degradation in speck visualization. Only 8.5% of all the units exceeded the 3 mGy dose limit for average glandular doses. Comparisons with US data will be presented.
Conclusion: The pilot study demonstrated that mammography units outside the United States can comply with federal US requirements, although voluntary participation may introduce a bias in the results. Governments should require all the facilities to participate in such an evaluation to ensure that minimum standards for image quality and dose are met.
Borras ScD, C,
Measurements of Image Quality and Dose in 61 Mammography Units in 11 Countries. Radiological Society of North America 2003 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 30 - December 5, 2003 ,Chicago IL.
http://archive.rsna.org/2003/3107772.html
