Automatic Detection of Micro-Calcification in Breast Tissue by X-Ray Dual-energy Technique for Early Detection of Breast Cancer

Background and purpose: Dual-energy mammography technique is used for improving the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis especially in dense breast cases and also detection of micro-calcifications which are early signs of breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the automatic separation feasibility of micro-calcification images in breast tissue images and evaluating its accuracy using digital dual-energy mammography technique. Material and Methods: In this study, a breast phantom was designed and built based on X-ray attenuation of breast tissue components. Various thicknesses of Aluminum sheets were imaged for micro-calcification simulation by an X-ray tube with Tungsten anode and a flat panel detector which was made of Si/GadOx. In addition, to use Dual-energy imaging technique, appropriate filter for high-energy spectra was designed and built by MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code. Image processing and solving the thickness equations was done by MATLAB software. Results: The applied technique achieved Al separation with thicknesses greater than 200 micron in the images. In other words, this technique could separate micro-calcium larger than 235 mm from non-uniform tissue of equivalent breast