Evaluation of preexposed step wedges in acceptance tests of film processing in mammography

It was tested with 5 different types of mammography films in which manner the values of ''Lightspeed'' (LS) and ''Lightcontrast'' (LC), according DIN V 6868-55 will be changed, when preexposed film strips are used, stored at different climates and spaces of time in comparision to strips, which are exposed immediately before processing. It was proved, that the value LS of preexposed film strips in general will be lowered with increasing storage time compared to freshly exposed film strips, when both strips are processed simultaneously. This drift will be enhanced with increasing rel.humidity levels during storage. The value of LC increases in general with longer storage time and higher rel. humidity levels. The tested film types have all individual drifts in LS and LC. The precision of a single measurement using preexposed film strips was established over all different types of films at in about: ΔLS=0.06 and ΔLC (%)=16% [in the borders of 2σ (sigma)]. This uncertainty includes solely the precision of sensitometer, densitometer, the method to establish sensitometric values and unavoidable statistical fluctuations. Even when the systematic drift of the used film type is well established, the required precision, restricted to the listed items and prescribed in DIN V 6868-55, table D.1 to determine the values of LS with ΔLS=0.039 and the values of LC with ΔLC=7.2% is overstepped in so far, that it is impossible to draw a precise conclusion from the measured values to the performance of the subsystem film and processing. If any exceeding of the dose in image receptor plane is monitored, there is no tracking possible to a misadjustment of the subsystem film and processing. (orig.)