X-ray mammography with tomosynthesis
First Claim
1. A method of obtaining x-ray mammogram images, projection tomosynthesis x-ray images, and reconstructed tomosynthesis images x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s breast, comprising:
- providing an x-ray source movable relative to the patient'"'"'s breast, a flat panel digital x-ray imager, and a breast support and a compression paddle positioned between the source and the imager, said compression paddle configured for compressing the breast against the breast support;
compressing the patient'"'"'s breast between the paddle and the breast support and selectively energizing the source to emit x-rays through the breast to the imager at selected angular positions of the source relative to the breast;
energizing the x-ray source at each of the selected angular positions;
controlling the imager to obtain therefrom, in a single compression of the breast, (i) an x-ray mammogram image of substantially an entire thickness of the breast, wherein the x-ray mammogram image is taken at an x-ray dose to the breast that is of a conventional mammogram and (ii) a plurality of tomosynthesis projection images, each of the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images being of a portion of a thickness of the breast, wherein each of the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images is taken at an x-ray dose to the breast that is less than the x-ray dose to the breast emitted for the mammogram image;
computer-processing the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images into one or more reconstructed tomosynthesis images representing a volume of the patient'"'"'s breast; and
displaying at least one of said mammogram image and the reconstructed tomosynthesis images.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system for producing tomosynthetic images of a patient'"'"'s breast. An x-ray source that delivers x-rays through a breast immobilized and compressed between a compression paddle and a breast platform and form an image at a digital x-ray receptor panel. Multiple x-ray images are taken as the x-ray source and the receptor move relative to the immobilized breast. In one preferred embodiment, the x-ray source travels from −15° to +15°. The source can travel in an arc around the breast while the receptor travels linearly while remaining parallel and at the same distance from the breast platform. The sets of x-ray image data taken at different angles are to combined to form tomosynthetic images that can be viewed in different formats, alone or as an adjunct to conventional mammograms.
332 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A method of obtaining x-ray mammogram images, projection tomosynthesis x-ray images, and reconstructed tomosynthesis images x-ray images of a patient'"'"'s breast, comprising:
-
providing an x-ray source movable relative to the patient'"'"'s breast, a flat panel digital x-ray imager, and a breast support and a compression paddle positioned between the source and the imager, said compression paddle configured for compressing the breast against the breast support; compressing the patient'"'"'s breast between the paddle and the breast support and selectively energizing the source to emit x-rays through the breast to the imager at selected angular positions of the source relative to the breast; energizing the x-ray source at each of the selected angular positions; controlling the imager to obtain therefrom, in a single compression of the breast, (i) an x-ray mammogram image of substantially an entire thickness of the breast, wherein the x-ray mammogram image is taken at an x-ray dose to the breast that is of a conventional mammogram and (ii) a plurality of tomosynthesis projection images, each of the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images being of a portion of a thickness of the breast, wherein each of the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images is taken at an x-ray dose to the breast that is less than the x-ray dose to the breast emitted for the mammogram image; computer-processing the plurality of tomosynthesis projection images into one or more reconstructed tomosynthesis images representing a volume of the patient'"'"'s breast; and displaying at least one of said mammogram image and the reconstructed tomosynthesis images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17)
-
-
14. A method of selectively using the same x-ray equipment to obtain (i) a mammogram image and (ii) projection tomosynthesis images, comprising:
-
providing an x-ray source that selectively moves relative to a patient'"'"'s breast while the breast remains compressed, and a flat panel x-ray imager receiving x-rays from the source through the breast when the source is energized; compressing the patient'"'"'s breast in a position between the source and the imager; selectively operating the equipment in both (a) a mammogram operating mode in which the imager obtains a mammogram image of substantially an entire thickness of the breast while the source, breast and imager are in a fixed position with respect to each other, and (b) a tomosynthesis operating mode in which the imager obtains plural projection tomosynthesis images of the breast taken from different positions of the source relative to the breast, wherein each of the plural projection tomosynthesis images is of less than an entire thickness of the breast; releasing the patient'"'"'s breast from the position between the source and the imager after selectively operating the equipment in both the mammogram operating mode and the tomosynthesis operating mode; computer-processing the obtained images to selectively form display images including one or more reconstructed tomosynthesis images representing a selected thickness of breast tissue that is at a selected orientation relative to the compressed breast; and displaying at least one of (a) the mammogram image and (b) one or more of the reconstructed tomosynthesis images. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
-
Specification