Algorithmic scatter correction in dual-energy digital mammography for calcification imaging

X-ray scatter leads to erroneous calculations of dual-energy digital mammography (DEDM). The purpose of this work is to design an algorithmic method for scatter correction in DEDM without extra exposures or lead sheet. The method was developed based on the knowledge that scatter radiation in mammograms varies slowly spatially and most pixels in mammograms are non-calcification pixels, and implemented on a commercial full-field digital mammography system with a phantom of breast tissue equivalent material. The pinhole-array interpolation scatter correction method was also implemented on the system. We compared the background dual-energy (DE) calcification signals in the DE calcification images. Results show that the background signal in the DE calcification image can be reduced. The rms of background DE calcification image signal of 1105μm with scatter-uncorrected data was reduced to 187μm and 253μm after scatter correction, using our algorithmic method and pinhole-array interpolation method, respectively. The range of background DE calcification signals using scatter-uncorrected data was reduced by ~80% with scatter-corrected data using algorithmic method. The proposed algorithmic scatter correction method is effective; it has similar or even better performance than pinhole-array interpolation method in scatter correction for DEDM.