The Feasibility of Tube Current Modulation (TCM) to Reduce dose of the Surface Breast in Various Breast Sizes

Abstract

This study aims to develop three sizes of breast phantoms from silicone rubber (SR) material and evaluate tube current modulation (TCM) to reduce surface doses of the developed breast phantoms. The in-house breast phantom has three sizes: small (cup 34), medium (cup 36), and large (cup 38). The cross-sectional areas of cup 34, 36, and 38 are 78.5, 113.04, and 153.87 cm2, respectively. The in-house phantom was attached to the adult anthropomorphic phantom for dose measurement. Dose measurement was performed using an Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dosimeter. Scans were performed with and without TCM technique. It was found that the TCM effectively reduce the radiation dose to the breast surface up to approximately 60%. However, the dose reduction was accompanied by a 66% increase in noise when using the TCM technique.