(Monday, 4/1/2019) 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Room: Orange Blossom Ballroom
Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) systems with Digital Breast Tomosynthesis (DBT) now represent approximately half of the installed mammography systems in the United States. Due to the proliferation of different manufacturers and models of 2D Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) units, each with their own unique QC manual, the American College of Radiology (ACR) created a new unified QC manual in 2016. However, at the time of its publication the 2016 ACR Digital Quality Control Manual was not approved to include DBT and could not be implemented at facilities that had 2D FFDM units with DBT capability. In the intervening time many 2D systems have been converted to also perform DBT, and in the Fall of 2018, the ACR released an updated Digital Mammography Quality Control Manual which includes a DBT supplement. With the ability to implement this FDA approved alternative standard on both 2D FFDM and DBT systems, a significant number of sites may now be interested in transitioning to the new 2018 ACR Digital Quality Control Manual which presents a new set of challenges for the medical physicist, especially those operating in a consulting environment. These presentations will review the requirements of the new ACR Digital Mammography QC Manual and the practical implementation of this QC program in two different environments: a facility with a hospital-based medical physicist and one using the services of a consultant medical physicist. Each scenario presents unique challenges; these are discussed and possible solutions are given.
Learning Objectives:
1. Gain an understanding of the key elements of the new 2018 ACR Mammography QC manual including radiologist, technologist, and medical physicist requirements.
2. Learn specific details of the medical physics testing protocols and requirements with a special focus on the new DBT supplement
3. Understand the challenges associated with implementation of the FFDM and DBT elements of the program for consulting medical physicists
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