THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT IS TO DEVELOP A NOVEL STATIONARY DBT(S-DBT) SYSTEM

Xintek, Inc., Research Triangle Park NC

Investigators

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type among women. Early detection is viewed as the best approach to decrease breast cancer mortality. Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT), a 3-D imaging modality, is generally considered as the next generation screening device with improved performance compared to the full-field digital mammography. The current DBT scanners however suffer from low spatial resolution and relatively long scanning time due to mechanical motion of the x-ray source and patient motion which compromise the sensitivity for micro-calcification detection and result in prolonged patient discomfort. We propose to develop a novel stationary DBT (s-DBT) system with enhanced spatial resolution and reduced scanning time compared to the current systems. The system utilizes the carbon nanotube multi-beam field emission x-ray technology (MBFEX) to collect all the projection images without any mechanical motion.