Quality Controls in Digital Mammography protocol of the EFOMP Mammo Working group

Gisella Gennaro; Simona Avramova-Cholakova; Andrea Azzalini; Maria Luisa Chapel; Margarita Chevalier; Olivera Ciraj; Hugo de Las Heras; Vesna Gershan; Bengt Hemdal; Elizabeth Keavey; Nico Lanconelli; Susanne Menhart; Màrio João Fartaria; Ana Pascoal; Kristin Pedersen; Stefano Rivetti; Veronica Rossetti; Friedrich Semturs; Peter Sharp; Alberto Torresin

doi:10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.03.016

Quality Controls in Digital Mammography protocol of the EFOMP Mammo Working group

Phys Med. 2018 Apr:48:55-64. doi: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.03.016. Epub 2018 Apr 6.

Authors

Gisella Gennaro¹, Simona Avramova-Cholakova², Andrea Azzalini³, Maria Luisa Chapel⁴, Margarita Chevalier⁵, Olivera Ciraj⁶, Hugo de Las Heras⁷, Vesna Gershan⁸, Bengt Hemdal⁹, Elizabeth Keavey¹⁰, Nico Lanconelli¹¹, Susanne Menhart¹², Màrio João Fartaria¹³, Ana Pascoal¹⁴, Kristin Pedersen¹⁵, Stefano Rivetti¹⁶, Veronica Rossetti¹⁷, Friedrich Semturs¹⁸, Peter Sharp¹⁹, Alberto Torresin²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Breast Imaging Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology (IRCCS), via Gattamelata 64, 35128 Padua, Italy. Electronic address: [email protected].
² Medical Physics Laboratory, University Hospital City Clinic, Oncological Centre, Sofia, Bulgaria.
³ IT Unit, Veneto Institute of Oncology (IRCCS), Padua, Italy.
⁴ Medical Physics Department, Candelaria University Hospital, Tenerife, Spain.
⁵ Medical Physics, Radiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain.
⁶ University of Belgrade, Vinca Institute of Nuclear Sciences, Belgrade, Serbia.
⁷ QUART GmbH and Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany.
⁸ Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, Skopje, Macedonia.
⁹ Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Lund University, Sweden.
¹⁰ National Screening Service, BreastCheck, Galway, Ireland.
¹¹ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna, Italy.
¹² Leiterin RefZQS - Referenzzentrum für technische Qualitätssicherung im BKFP, Geschäftsfeld Strahlenschutz, Vienna, Austria.
¹³ Department of Radiology, Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), and University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
¹⁴ Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom.
¹⁵ Cancer Registry of Norway, Oslo, Norway.
¹⁶ Sassuolo Hospital, Modena, Italy.
¹⁷ SC Fisica Sanitaria, AOU Città della Salute e della Scienza di Torino, Italy.
¹⁸ Center for Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
¹⁹ Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK.
²⁰ Medical Physics Department, ASST Niguarda Hospital, Milan, Italy.

PMID: 29728229
DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2018.03.016

Abstract

This article aims to present the protocol on Quality Controls in Digital Mammography published online in 2015 by the European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP) which was developed by a Task Force under the Mammo Working Group. The main objective of this protocol was to define a minimum set of easily implemented quality control tests on digital mammography systems that can be used to assure the performance of a system within a set and acceptable range. Detailed step-by-step instructions have been provided, limiting as much as possible any misinterpretations or variations by the person performing. It is intended that these tests be implemented as part of the daily routine of medical physicists and system users throughout Europe in a harmonised way so allowing results to be compared. In this paper the main characteristics of the protocol are illustrated, including examples, together with a brief summary of the contents of each chapter. Finally, instructions for the download of the full protocol and of the related software tools are provided.

Keywords: Digital mammography; EFOMP; Protocol; Quality control.

MeSH terms

Humans
Mammography / adverse effects
Mammography / instrumentation
Mammography / standards*
Quality Assurance, Health Care / methods*
Radiation Dosage
Radiation Exposure
Societies, Scientific*