December 20, 2012 — At the 98th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Siemens Healthcare displayed the Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition, designed to be the first mammography system that lowers patient dose up to 30 percent without compromising image quality.
The Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition is intended to lower dose by replacing the standard scatter radiation grid with a new algorithm for progressive image reconstruction. This new algorithm is intended to identify scatter-causing structures and calculates a corrected image, enabling complete use of primary radiation so physicians can achieve high-quality images using less dose. The development of products like the digital full-field Mammomat Inspiration is a goal of Siemens Healthcare’s global Agenda 2013 initiative.
In digital X-ray breast imaging, radiation passes through the examined breast to a detector. Primary radiation supplies the information needed to produce the X-ray image, while scattered radiation is absorbed by special grids positioned between the breast and the detector. Unfortunately, these scatter grids also absorb part of the all-important primary radiation, forcing physicians to use a higher dose to obtain images of desired quality.
Siemens’ new reconstruction algorithm for the Mammomat Inspiration system – known as Prime (Progressive Reconstruction, Intelligently Minimizing Exposure) – is intended to eliminate the need for the conventional scatter radiation grid. The Prime algorithm is designed to correct the scattered radiation by identifying scatter-causing structures and recalculating the image. The primary radiation that radiologists rely upon remains intact and a grid is no longer necessary; therefore lower doses are sufficient to produce high-quality images. The grid-free imaging technology of the Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition is intended to reduce radiation dose up to 30 percent compared to its predecessor model, depending on the thickness of the patient’s breast tissue.
The system is based on the modular Mammomat Inspiration platform for screening, diagnostics and biopsy used by hospitals and physicians’ offices since 2007. Facilities have the option of purchasing the basic equipment, upgrading to biopsy or tomosynthesis features later as the need arises.
The Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition is pending 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is not yet commercially available in the United States.
For more information: www.siemens.com/healthcare
