Which factors can affect the average glandular dose per breast?

The average glandular dose per breast is significantly influenced by factors such as the degree of breast compression and beam quality.

Breast compression plays an essential role in mammography as it reduces the thickness of the breast, which in turn can decrease the amount of radiation required to produce a diagnostic image. This compression not only helps to minimize motion and improve image quality, but it also lowers the radiation dose as less tissue is being irradiated.

Beam quality, often determined by the selection of the X-ray tube and the filtration used, affects the energy spectrum of the X-rays being emitted. Higher beam quality (or energy) can effectively penetrate breast tissue, which also contributes to the optimization of the dose delivered. This means that using the appropriate beam quality can lead to a better balance between image quality and patient safety regarding radiation exposure.

When considering other factors like breast density, patient age, breast size, or the use of protective shields, while they may have some impact, they do not influence the average glandular dose as directly as compression and beam quality. For instance, breast density affects the likelihood of finding abnormalities but does not substantially change the calculated average glandular dose in the same way that compression and beam quality do.