Radiation protection in mammography

Mammography is a medical application focusing on two factors, patient dose management and risk reduction. This is because breast tissue has a relatively high sensitivity to some adverse effects of radiation, and also, mammography requires a higher exposure than other radiographic procedures to produce the required image quality. The higher exposure, compared to other radiographic procedures, is because the breast is composed of soft tissue (no bones or air) and has very low contrast. More radiation is required to produce visible images of both normal breast anatomy and signs of disease.

In mammography, the objective is to produce images that provide maximum visualization of breast anatomy and the signs of disease without subjecting the patient to unnecessary radiation.