In full field digital mammography, which factor determines which exposure field will be used for each patient?

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In full-field digital mammography, the area that will be irradiated is defined by the physical boundaries of the imaging setup. The compression paddle directly controls how large that exposed area can be because it physically confines the breast within a defined field. When the operator selects a paddle size that matches the patient’s breast, the system exposes only the breast tissue contained within that paddle, with automatic collimation refining the boundaries to cover the entire compressed breast while minimizing dose to surrounding tissues. Larger breasts require a larger paddle to ensure full coverage, whereas a smaller paddle narrows the field to fit the anatomy appropriately and reduce unnecessary exposure. While detector size and chosen views influence planning and coverage, the paddle size sets the actual exposure field for each patient.