Can low-energy contrast mammo replace standard imaging?

In this poster presentation, researchers will describe how low-energy contrast-enhanced digital mammography (CEDM) produced comparable images to standard mammography and therefore could replace the standard technique.

Dr. Elizabeth Morris, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and colleagues compared 170 low-energy CEDM images to standard digital mammograms performed within six months. The images were assessed according to the following parameters:

• Posterior nipple line to pectoral muscle distance
• Compression force on the mediolateral oblique projection
• Compression thickness on the mediolateral oblique projection
• The number or extent of dominant calcifications
• The size of masses, asymmetries, or distortions

Because the researchers found no difference -- qualitative or statistical -- between the two modalities in any of the image parameters, they concluded that low-energy CEDM images could be used for routine breast imaging.