Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

Contrast-enhanced digital breast tomosynthesis (CE-DBT) is a novel x-ray imaging technique that produces a 3D representation of the breast vasculature via an intravenous contrast agent. CE-DBT offers a combination of excellent spatial resolution and accurate functional information, suggesting a strong potential role in disease prognostication. We have developed an innovative technique for obtaining dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) images with high spatial and temporal resolution. We have demonstrated, in proof-of-principle, that 4D DCE-DBT is technically feasible and that the derived data accurately measures vascular dynamics. Previous contrast-enhanced DBT systems produced images at 2-3 fixed time points. Our novel acquisition technique is capable of producing perfusion images at 30-60 time points for the same radiation dose. The method is compatible with both temporal and dual-energy subtraction methods. Reconstruction is performed using one full set of sequentially-acquired images; however, unlike conventional DBT, the starting angle (and hence measurement time point) is arbitrary in our method. The resulting 4D data set consists of many time-resolved 3D functional measurements of tumor perfusion, offering the potential for superior lesion characterization and hence diagnostic accuracy.
The original document contains color images.