QUART mam/digi EPQC - 12305
Technical & Clinical Mammography IQ Phantom
The QUART mam/digi EPQC phantom is designed to be used as a universal tool for QA/QC routine testing in Digital and Analog Mammography.
Due to its concept, the phantom creates a link between technical and clinical image quality. It can also be used as QA tool for Digital Tomosynthesis.
Effective of May 2017, the Landolt evaluation of the mam/digi phantom was nationally accepted in Germany to be used alternatively to the CDMAM test.
(Source: Letter of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, the German Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz, Bau und Reaktorsicherheit (BMUB) to the manufacturer) - The decision was based on a majority vote and recommendation by the German Länderausschuss Röntgenverordnung (LA RöV), a national expert panel for radiation protection and radiation saftey. A guideline on how to test mammography systems using the Landolt objects can be provided with the phantom on request.
A scientific study has additionally proven that the QUART mam/digi phantom reveals variations in image quality with a higher sensitivity than the ACR accreditation phantom.
Only one exposure is required to collect all necessary parameters to determine the imaging quality of the x-ray system.
After the exposure, the image can be visually checked or automatically evaluated through the unique QUART MammoPro software module.
The QUART mam/digi phantom incorporates Landolt ring objects. Similar to the gold structures of the CDMAM phantom, the Landolt C‘s are used to verify low-contrast and perceptibility limits. However, the Landolt rings are developed to compare better to the morphology of microcalcifications than any other available structure in current mammography QA/QC phantoms.*
All test objects are arranged and positioned near the thorax wall side of the mammography unit. This is intentional to avoid heel effect influence on the consistency of test results.
Technical Specifications- STEP WEDGE: 12 physical steps 5 – 40 mm PMMA
- Additional 3 Aluminium step-wedge (step 10-12)
- Micro-calcification strip creates a step wedge with a total of 24 steps
- CONTRAST DETAILS: 72 Landolt Cs, Group of 6 on each step
- LOW-CONTRAST: Row of low-contrast numbers on step 1 - 12
- NYQUIST FREQUENCY / MTF: Line spread function test object
- FIELD ALIGNMENT: 2 rows of radiopaque spheres to check field alignment at thorax side
- DETECTOR SLOT: Dosemeter slot for reproducible dose measurements
- INSERT AREA: For additional test inserts (e.g. ghosting / artefacts)
- SIZE: 240 x 180 x 46 mm (L x W x H)
H. de las Heras Gala et al., A phantom using titanium and Landolt rings for image quality evaluation in mammography, Phys. Med. Biol. 58 (8) 2013.
QUART MammoPRO
Automated Image Scoring Software for QUART mam/digi EPQC phantoms
Software-assisted test phantom evaluation: After the phantom is positioned on the bucky table, the exposure is initiated.
The image as created by the mammography system is extracted as a DICOM image and uploaded into the QUART MammoPRO software module. The QA software will guide the user step-by-step through the evaluation process, collect all data from the test image and create a test protocol for matters of documentation and as a base for long-term analysis.
QUART MammoPRO automatically evaluates the following parameters:- Nyquist frequency (NF)
- Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR)
- Modulation transfer function (MTF) at 10% & 50% modulation
- Additional QA related parameters (such as geometric, scaling or distance measurements, image uniformity, artefacts, etc.) can be assessed through external DICOM analysis
- One-click fully automated image evaluation
- Data export of all parameters to Microsoft Excel templates enabled
- Quick and easy server registration for end-users available 24/7
- Developed for ease-of-use
- The whole procedure from phantom positioning to the software assisted evaluation and creation of the test protocol takes only about 5 minutes.
- Essential test parameters are displayed for evaluation, others are collected in the software‘s backend, or are visually assessed.
| Models and ordering | ||
| Item Number | Name | Description |
| 12305 | QUART mam/digi EPQC |
Improved test phantom with integrated contrast resolution test objects. Suitable for checks on CNR, homogeneity, artefacts. Approved for acceptance and
constancy testing. Complies with EUREF, EPQC, and other guidelines.
Applications: Mammography, including Tomosynthesis. |
| 12305SW | QUART MammoPRO S/W |
Automatic evaluation and scoring software for the QUART mam/digi EPQC phantom.
Applications: Mammography, including Tomosynthesis. |