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Background and purpose: Dual-energy mammography technique is used for improving the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis especially in dense breast cases and also detection of micro-calcifications which are early signs of breast cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the automatic separation feasibility of micro-calcification images in breast tissue images and evaluating its accuracy using digital dual-energy mammography technique. Material and Methods: In this study, a breast phantom was designed and built based on X-ray attenuation of breast tissue components. Various thicknesses of Aluminum sheets were imaged for micro-calcification simulation by an X-ray tube with Tungsten anode and a flat panel detector which was made of Si/GadOx. In addition, to use Dual-energy imaging technique, appropriate filter for high-energy spectra was designed and built by MCNP-4C Monte Carlo code. Image processing and solving the thickness equations was done by MATLAB software. Results: The applied technique achieved Al separation with thicknesses greater than 200 micron in the images. In other words, this technique could separate micro-calcium larger than 235 mm from non-uniform tissue of equivalent breast. Conclusion: According to the results and the method which was used in this study that is very similar to the common digital radiology systems, breast imaging can be employed for automatic detection of micro-calcifications larger than 235 mm in breast tissue by using Dual-energy technique and its appropriate filters, thereby helping the physicians in early stages of detection.

Keywords: Dual energy mammography, micro- calcification detection, breast cancer

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