Siemens Healthcare unveils new mammography system

Siemens Healthcare, a supplier of medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids, has announced the launch of the Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition, a mammography system that lowers patient dose up to 30% without compromising image quality.

The Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition lowers dose by replacing the standard scatter radiation grid with a new algorithm for progressive image reconstruction. This new algorithm identifies scatter-causing structures and calculates a corrected image, enabling complete use of primary radiation so physicians can achieve high-quality images with less dose.

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.

According to the company, 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. Since mammography means regular screening of healthy women, minimizing dose is extremely important.

Siemens's new reconstruction algorithm for the Mammomat Inspiration system known as Prime (Progressive Reconstruction, Intelligently Minimizing Exposure) eliminates the need for the conventional scatter radiation grid. The Prime algorithm subsequently corrects the scattered radiation by identifying scatter-causing structures and recalculating the image. The primary radiation that radiologists rely upon remains intact.

Therefore, a grid is no longer necessary, and lower doses are sufficient to produce high-quality images. The grid-free imaging technology of the Mammomat Inspiration Prime Edition can reduce radiation dose up to 30% compared to its predecessor model, depending on the thickness of the patient's breast tissue.