Evaluation of Quality-Physical Requirements of Digital Mammography Facilities and Providing Improvement Strategies in Isfahan City, Iran

Abstract

Introduction: Mammography is the cornerstone of breast cancer screening and early detection. This study was conducted to investigate the status of digital mammography facilities in Isfahan City, Iran, in terms of equipment and physical-quality requirements, to offer solutions to improve the current situation. Methods: In this descriptive study, all 15 active digital mammography facilities (DMF) in Isfahan City were visited by a medical physicist. Data were collected using a researcher-made checklist including 40 items and topics of calibration, general condition of equipment, dosimetry, quality of images, and printers. Instructions and quality control reports of devices were evaluated and compared with the guidelines of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). Results: All the DMFs passed the standards of AEOI. The most important problem was that in majority of DMFs, the diagnosis room was not equipped with standard medical monitors or these monitors were not utilized. The differences between evaluated resolution measures of the device with results reported by quality control companies, lack of attention to expiration dates of received films by operator, lack of phantom for periodic calibration by operator, lack of attention to mean glandular dose and surface dose indicator, and printing four images on one film were the other observed problems. Conclusion: It is recommended to pay more attention to installation and operational standards of the equipment and conduct periodic surveys of DMFs. Moreover, equipping the centers with the diagnostic rooms is essential. Although all the medical imaging centers are obliged to conduct annual quality control tests on their equipment by qualified companies, investigating DMFs revealed that these quality control tests are not sufficient.

Keywords

• Equipment and Supplies
• Mammography
• Breast Neoplasms
• Iran