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Open Access 01-12-2019 | Mammography | Technical note

Microbubbles as a contrast agent in grating interferometry mammography: an ex vivo proof-of-mechanism study

Authors: Kristina Lång, Carolina Arboleda, Serafino Forte, Zhentian Wang, Sven Prevrhal, Thomas Koehler, Norbert Kuhn, Bernd David, Konstantins Jefimovs, Rahel A. Kubik-Huch, Marco Stampanoni

Published in: European Radiology Experimental | Issue 1/2019

Abstract

Grating interferometry mammography (GIM) is an experimental breast imaging method at the edge of being clinically implemented. Besides attenuation, GIM can measure the refraction and scattering of x-rays resulting in differential phase contrast (DPC) and dark-field (DF) images. In this exploratory study, we assessed the feasibility of using microbubbles as a contrast agent in GIM. Two millilitres of microbubbles and iodine were respectively injected into ex vivo breast phantoms, consisting of fresh chicken breasts. Native and postcontrast images were acquired with a clinically compatible GIM setup, operated at 38 kVp, 14-s acquisition time, and with a dose of 1.3 mGy. The visibility of the contrast agents was analysed in a side-by-side comparison by three radiologists. The contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) was calculated for each contrast agent. We found that both contrast agents were judged to be visible by the readers. The mean CNR was 3.1 ± 1.9 for microbubbles in DF and 24.2 ± 6.5 for iodine in attenuation. In conclusion, this is a first proof-of-mechanism study that microbubbles could be used as a contrast agent in clinically compatible GIM, due to their scattering properties, which implies the potential use of a contrast agent with a high safety profile in x-ray-based breast imaging.

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Title: Microbubbles as a contrast agent in grating interferometry mammography: an ex vivo proof-of-mechanism study
Authors: Kristina Lång
Carolina Arboleda
Serafino Forte
Zhentian Wang
Sven Prevrhal
Thomas Koehler
Norbert Kuhn
Bernd David
Konstantins Jefimovs
Rahel A. Kubik-Huch
Marco Stampanoni
Publication date: 01-12-2019
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Keywords: Mammography
Mammography
Published in: European Radiology Experimental / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 2509-9280
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41747-019-0097-2

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Springer Medicine

Microbubbles as a contrast agent in grating interferometry mammography: an ex vivo proof-of-mechanism study

Abstract

2024 ASCO Annual Meeting

Springer Medicine

Abstract

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