Digital mammography

Until 2000 the detector was a piece of film in a cassette. This was known as “film screen” mammography. Among other disadvantages, film was a medium that could not be shared and could be lost or damaged.

In 2000 the FDA approved “digital mammography” systems. The detector is no longer a piece of film, rather a photon receptor that converts the photons to a digital signal that can be viewed on a high resolution monitor instead of a lightbox. Digital mammography has largely replaced film based screening. As of 2015, 95% of all units in the United States are full field digital units.

The image on the right shows the differing conspicuity of breast tissue on film screen vs digital mammography.