A novel approach to scatter-free imaging for the improvement of breast cancer Detection

Compton scattering is one of the main causes of image degradation in X-ray imaging. This is particularly noticeable in mammography where details of interest feature low contrast in comparison to the surrounding tissue. This work shows the feasibility of obtaining scatter-free images by using a quasi-monochromatic X-ray beam and a pixellated spectroscopic detector. This work presents characterisation of the imaging system and quantitative imaging data of a low contrast test object. An improvement in contrast by 8% was observed compared to images obtained including scattered radiation. Comparison with a conventional setup showed an increase in the image quality factor when scatter has been removed