Revealing artifacts in contrast-enhanced mammography: prevalence and implications for diagnostic accuracy

Background: Distinguishing and evaluating the incidence and impact of contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM) artifacts and pitfalls can be challenging. The purpose of this study is to comprehensively analyze the frequency of CEM's artifacts and compare the detection rates between two operators with differing experience levels. Methods: Between January 2020 to December 2023, we conducted a retrospective review of 201 patients who underwent CEM. We evaluated patient-related artifacts, contrast agent-related artifacts, technical artifacts and pitfalls, estimating the incidence of each. CEM evaluations were carried out by a senior breast radiologist with 30 years of experience [Master (M)] and a radiology resident with 1 year of training in breast radiology [Alumn (A)]. Interobserver agreement was measured using Cohen's Kappa coefficient, and overall concordance was further assessed through Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Results: 13.4%, respectively). Conclusions: This study highlights the high frequency and variability of CEM artifacts, particularly technical and interpretative ones, with detection rates differing notably by reader experience. Less experienced readers tended to overidentify skin line artifacts and blind areas. These findings emphasize the need for standardized training and interpretation protocols to improve diagnostic consistency in CEM.