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The history of mammography
The history of mammography
From bull-sized X-ray machines to special systems for mammography
In those days, the technique known as mammography (from the Latin mamma, “breast”) was still in its infancy, but the equipment and knowledge available to Strax and and his colleagues were the result of a few decades of development.
What is mammography? What happens during an examination? These and other questions will be answered in the video.
Pioneers of mammography
Albert Salomon
In 1913, the surgeon Albert Salomon started to examine diseases of the breast by using X-rays. As X-ray equipment was not designed for imaging breast tissue, or at least not without considerable effort, Salomon could only use excised breast tissue in his research. By comparing the tissue with the X-ray images, he identified how diseased tissue spread and how it could be distinguished from healthy tissue, among other observations. He explained the diagnostic principles so comprehensively that subsequent researchers only needed to supplement his work with a small amount of theoretical knowledge.

Otto Kleinschmidt
In 1927, the first known image of the breast tissue of a living patient was published by Otto Kleinschmidt, a professor of surgery in Leipzig.
Source: Zweifel, Paul/Payr, Erwin (Hg.): Die Klinik der bösartigen Geschwülste [Clinical assessment of malignant tumors], p. 58.

Leborgne, Gros, Gershon-Cohen and Ingleby
From the 1930s onward, numerous other pioneers laid the blueprint for today’s systems through their insights into and requirements for mammography equipment. In Montevideo, the radiologist Raoul Leborgne realized, among other observations, that breast tumors could spread over a large area without being detectable to the touch. In Strasbourg, Charles Gros improved the image quality by optimizing X-ray tubes for the visualization of soft tissue. In Pennsylvania, an American working group led by Jacob Gershon-Cohen and the pathologist Helen Ingleby demonstrated the importance of mammography in early detection and published the first standard work on the technique.

Heidelberg University
In 1957, Heidelberg University launched a major study that was instrumental in helping mammography break through into clinical practice. A number of technical improvements have paved the way for the more widespread use of mammography. The X-ray machine used at Heidelberg University Women’s Hospital was the Siemens Tridoros IV. Although this equipment was not specifically developed for mammography, the physicians in Heidelberg worked with Siemens to optimize it to meet the exacting requirements of breast imaging with X-ray technology. For the first time, the X-ray tube was fitted with a cone that not only focused the X-rays but also compressed the breast in order to reduce the radiation load and improve detail recognition.

As early as possible
The new unit

MAMMOMAT, 1972
Meilensteine der Mammographie

1972
The MAMMOMAT was the first Siemens system designed specifically for examining the female breast.

1981
The grid technology in MAMMOMAT B improved image quality in various ways, including by considerably reducing the amount of scattered radiation in the grid and by enabling further significant improvements in contrast and detail recognition in the X-ray images.

1994
MAMMOMAT 3000 featured a microprocessor that automatically determined the optimum parameters for capturing an X-ray image. For example, its compression system stopped automatically at the point where further compression would no longer improve the quality of the image. This spared the patient unnecessary pain while still offering the physician the best possible image quality.

2003
The new generation of digital systems began with MAMMOMAT Novation. In this system the X-rays were received by a detector that converted the measured values into electrical signals. Once the image was rendered, the physician could assess the results immediately on-screen while the patient was still present, and begin further examinations if necessary.

2007
The MAMMOMAT Inspiration is a flexible mammography system for screening and diagnostics and provides a platform for the continuous development of mammography for the next decade.

2009
The incorporation of 3D Breast Tomosynthesis into the MAMMOMAT Inspiration digital mammography platform allows physicians to produce three-dimensional images of the breast. In the system an X-ray tube and the detector rotate around the breast in a 50-degree arc, recording 25 individual images at a very low dose. From this raw data, MAMMOMAT Inspiration generates high-resolution 3D images of the breast that can even reveal tumors that were previously concealed by overlapping tissue.

2012
Der MAMMOMAT Inspiration PRIME Edition ist mit einem neuen Algorithmus zur Bildkorrektur ausgestattet, der die Strahlendosis bei gleichbleibender Bildqualität um bis zu 30 Prozent senkt.

2017
Der Siemens Healthineers MAMMOMAT Revelation ist das erste System, das die Brustdichte automatisch bestimmt. Ein Aufnahmewinkel von 50 Grad ist die Grundlage für 3D-Aufnahmen der Brust mit hervorragender Bildqualität, welche eine gezieltere, präzisere Biopsie ermöglichen. Außerdem erleichtert das System die Durchführung von Biopsien durch die "InSpect" Funktion. So kann nach der Entnahme von Brustgewebe die Probe direkt am Gerät überprüft werden.

1972
The MAMMOMAT was the first Siemens system designed specifically for examining the female breast.
Turn your city pink!
Im Jahre 2008 sind weltweit 34 „Mammo-Mobile“ rund um den Globus unterwegs, etwa in Dänemark, Polen und Georgien
"Turn your city pink!" - Collage nach einem Jahr Kampagne mit tausenden Teilnehmerfotos aus 76 Länder
Technology journalist and author at the Siemens Healthineers Historical Institute