Which materials are used as filters in mammography?

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Filtration in mammography shapes the x-ray beam by removing the very low-energy photons, which reduces patient dose and improves image contrast. In practice, materials like molybdenum and rhodium are used as filters because they are well matched to the spectra produced by the typical mammography targets. When a molybdenum target is used, a molybdenum filter helps trim the beam to energies around the diagnostic range for breast tissue, enhancing contrast while keeping dose down. The same idea applies with a rhodium target and a rhodium filter, tailoring the spectrum to the same energy window. While other metals such as aluminum or copper can be used for added filtration in some systems, molybdenum and rhodium are the standard filter materials in mammography. Tungsten or lead are not used as clinical filtration materials for this purpose, and titanium or nickel are not conventional choices either.