Ali Fatemi-Ardekani1,2, Michael D. Noseworthy2,3, Colm Boylan4
1Medical Physics and Applied Radiation Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 2Brain-Body Institute, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 3Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Biomedical Engineering, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada; 4Diagnostic Imaging, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Susceptibility Weighted Imaging (SWI) shows exquisite structural details with unprecedented resolution. This technique is of significant interest for breast imaging, especially in detecting micro-calcification. Calcification, an early indicator of ductal carcinoma in situ, an invasive form of breast cancer, is not clearly visible on either conventional MR images or X-ray mammography of dense breast tissue. Here we show how optimized SWI detects calcification with an over estimation of lesion volume by a factor of 2, yet with better contrast than CT.