Radiographic elements for mammographic medical diagnostic imaging

A medical diagnostic radiographic element comprised of

• a film support having first and second major surfaces capable of transmitting radiation to which the radiographic element is responsive and, coated on each of the major surfaces,
• processing solution permeable hydrophilic colloid layers which are fully forehardened including
• at least one emulsion comprised of silver halide grains,
• a spectral sensitizing dye adsorbed by the silver halide grains, and
• a particulate dye (a) capable of absorbing radiation to which the silver halide grains are responsive, (b) present in an amount sufficient to reduce crossover to less than 15 percent, and (c) capable of being substantially decolorized during processing,
• WHEREIN, to facilitate mammographic imaging as well as rapid processing with low wet pressure sensitivity,
• said silver halide grains are coated at a coverage capable of providing an overall radiographic element maximum density on processing of greater than 3.6,
• less than 35 mg/dm.sup.2 of hydrophilic colloid is coated on each of the major surfaces of the support,
• first and second of the hydrophilic colloid layers each containing a tabular grain emulsion are coated on each major surface of the support with the first layers located nearer the support than the second layers,
• the second layers contain (a) silver halide grains accounting for from 30 to 70 percent of the total weight of the second layers and accounting for greater than 50 percent of total grain projected area within the second layers, and (b) from 20 to 80 percent of the total silver forming the silver halide grains within the radiographic element,
• the first layers contain (a) the dye particles and (b) from 20 to 80 percent of the total silver forming the silver halide grains within the radiographic element,
• the dye particles and the silver halide grains together account for from 30 to 70 percent of the total weight of each of the first layers, and
• radiation-sensitive silver halide grains within the first and second hydrophilic colloid layers exhibit a coefficient of variation of grain equivalent circular diameter of less than 15 percent and contain rhodium in a normalized molar concentration of less than 1.times.10.sup.-7 based on silver to provide a mid-scale contrast of greater than 3.0 and a lower scale contrast of greater than 2.2, where mid-scale contrast is the slope of a line drawn between characteristic curve points at densities of 0.25 and 2.0 above minimum density and lower scale contrast is the slope of a line drawn between a first reference point on the characteristic curve at a density of 0.85 above minimum density and a second, lower exposure reference point on the characteristic curve separated from the first reference by an exposure difference of 0.3 log E, where log E is the log of exposure in lux-seconds.