CURVED CRYSTAL SPECTROMETER FOR ENERGY CALIBRATION AND SPECTRAL CHARACTERIZATION OF MAMMOGRAPHIC X-RAY SOURCES

Clinical efficacy of diagnostic radiology for mammographic examination s is critically dependent on source characteristics, detection efficie ncy, image resolution and applied high voltage. In this report we focu s on means for evaluation of source-dependent issues including noninva sive determination of the applied high voltage, and characterization o f intrinsic spectral distributions which in turn reflect the effects o f added filtration and target and window contamination. It is shown th at a particular form of x-ray curved crystal spectrometry with electro nic imaging can serve to determine all relevant parameters within the confines of a standard clinical exposure. (C) 1996 American Associatio n of Physicists in Medicine.