Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Pilot Study on the Development of Remote Quality Control of Digital Mammography Systems in the NHS Breast Screening Programme

  • Published:
Journal of Digital Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the UK, physicists and radiographers perform routine quality control (QC) of digital mammography equipment at daily, weekly and monthly intervals. The tests performed and tolerances are specified by standard protocols. The manual nature of many of the tests introduces variability due to the positioning of regions of interest (ROIs) and can be time consuming. The tools on workstations provided by manufacturers limit the range of analysis that radiographers can perform and do not allow for a standard set of tools and analysis because they are specific to a given manufacturer. Automated software provides a means of reducing the variability in the analysis and also provides the possibility of additional, more complex analysis than is currently performed on the daily, weekly and monthly checks by radiographers. To this end, a set of tools has been developed to analyse the routine images taken by radiographers. As well as automatically reproducing the usual measurements by radiographers more complex analysis is provided. A QC image collection system has been developed which automatically routes QC data from a clinical site to a centralised server for analysis. A Web-based interface has been created that allows the users to view the performance of the mammographic equipment. The pilot system obtained over 3000 QC images from seven X-ray units at a single screening centre over 2 years. The results show that these tools and methods of analysis can highlight changes in a detector over time that may otherwise go unnoticed with the conventional analysis.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Reiner B I: Automating quality assurance for digital radiography. J Am Coll Radiol 6(7):486–490,2009

  2. Moores B, Charnock P, Ward M: Web-based tools for quality assurance and radiation protection in diagnostic radiology. Radiat Prot Dosim 139(1–3):422–429,2010

  3. Grimes J, Leng S, McCollough C: Th-c-18a-07: A software tool for automated analysis of ct quality assurance phantoms. Med Phys 41(6):558–558,2014

  4. Baxter G, Jones V, Milnes V, Oduko J, Philips V, Sellars S, Zoe V: Routine quality control tests for full field digital mammography systems: NHSBSP Report (1303),2013

  5. Workman A, Castellano IA, Kulama E, Lawinski C, Marshall N, Young KC: Commissioning and routine testing of full field digital mammography systems: NHSBSP Report (0604), 2009

  6. Jacobs J, Lemmens K, Nens J, Michielsen K, Marchal G, Bosmans H: One year of experience with remote quality assurance of digital mammography systems in the Flemish breast cancer screening program. In: Digital Mammography. Springer, 2008, pp 703–710

  7. Bloomquist A, Jacobs J, Yaffe M: Su-e-i-87: Pilot testing of software for automated remote quality control of digital mammography equipment for use in the ontario breast screening program. Med Phys 38(6):3415–3416,2011

  8. Young KC, Van Engen R, Bosmans H, Jacobs J, Zanca F: Quaxlity control in digital mammography. In: Digital Mammography. Springer, 2010, pp 33–54

  9. Young K, Oduko J: Technical evaluation of Hologic Selenia Dimensions 2D Digital Breast Imaging System with software version 1.4.2: NHSBSP Report (1201), 2012

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work has been funded by the NHS Breast Screening Programme. We would like to acknowledge the help of Prof. David Dance, the cooperation of the radiographers at the Jarvis Screening Centre and the staff at the Regional Radiation Protection Service at the Royal Surrey County Hospital.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NCCPM, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK

    P. Looney, J. M. Oduko & K. C. Young

  2. Scientific Computing Section, Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford, UK

    M. D. Halling-Brown

  3. Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford, England, UK

    K. C. Young

Authors
  1. P. Looney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. D. Halling-Brown
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. M. Oduko
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K. C. Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to P. Looney.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Looney, P., Halling-Brown, M.D., Oduko, J.M. et al. A Pilot Study on the Development of Remote Quality Control of Digital Mammography Systems in the NHS Breast Screening Programme. J Digit Imaging 28, 586–593 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-014-9759-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10278-014-9759-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation