Full-Field Digital Mammography: Introduction to Different Technologies

Digital mammography separates the functions of image acquisition, display, and storage enabling each of them to be optimized. Although the spatial resolution of digital mammography is less than that of its analog counterpart, the markedly superior dynamic range provided by the digital platform may translate into improved cancer detection, particularly in dense breast tissue. Early clinical trials of digital mammography failed to confirm such a detection benefit; however, the Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial, with its greater statistical power, did report increased sensitivity for the digital modality in young women, women who are pre- or peri-menopausal, and women with dense breast tissue. The true value of digital mammography, however, may lie in its ability to provide a platform on which advanced x-ray imaging applications for the breast may be developed. In this article, the different technologies of full-field digital mammography in current clinical practice are described.