Abstract
Quality control of the image is one of the most important elements in mammography. Assessment is generally carried out by visual evaluation of the phantom image. A photographic density of the phantom image of over 1.2 is formally recommended. However, the value of 1.4 has recently been proposed. This paper examines the relationship between visual evaluation and the photographic density of the phantom image. Visual evaluation was significantly improved using density levels of 1.4. However, image quality was greatly affected by film base density, image characteristics of the screen-film system, film contrast and the brightness of the viewing box. The evaluation of breast masses was particularly improved using the highest brightness of the viewing box.
