PhD student, Jabari Calliste has been involved in major research in nanotechnology at North Carolina University, USA. Calliste, a past student of QRC, along with a team of researchers, has developed a stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) technology that uses a novel multiple focal-spot X-ray source array with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the field emission electron source. This stationary approach can increase acquisition speed and eliminate the focal spot motion.
This study represents the first human tissue imaging with the novel carbon nanotube–based s-DBT device. It has been shown that the s-DBT device offers significant improvement in image quality, including improved modulation transfer function (MTF) and lesion conspicuity in breast phantom studies. This is particularly helpful for radiologists to enable them to make more accurate assessments for patients to have a clear understanding of malignancy diagnosis, and for medical personnel to allow for better determination of surgical requirements. It has been found that malignant lesions in the breast can be difficult to visualise using full-field digital mammography (FFDM) when significant tissue overlap is present.
Tissue overlap is most apparent in breast tissue that is thick and radiographically dense. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) uses a small number of angular projections to reconstruct a pseudo–three-dimensional (3D) volume. The objective of this study was to compare the stationary digital breast tomosynthesis (s-DBT) system to a conventional mammography system in a study of breast specimens. Radiologist evaluation of image quality was assessed in a reader study.
This research represents the first human data acquired using a stationary digital breast tomosynthesis system with carbon nanotubes. The novel s-DBT system was found to be comparable to magnified 2D mammography imaging for malignancy diagnosis. Given the trend of preference for s-DBT over 2D mammography for both mass visibility and margin assessment, s-DBT could be a viable alternative to magnified 2D mammography for imaging breast specimens.
The s-DBT system was found to be comparable to magnified 2D mammography for malignancy diagnosis. Radiology readers preferred magnified 2D mammography for MC visualisation. However, readers trended toward a preference for s-DBT with respect to masses and surgical margin assessment.
What is nanotechnology?
Nanotechnology is science, engineering, and technology conducted at the nanoscale, which is about one to 100 nanometres. Nanoscience and nanotechnology are the study and application of extremely small things and can be used across all the other science fields, such as chemistry, biology, physics, materials science and engineering (www.nano.gov).