Multi modality X-ray and nuclear medicine mammography imaging system and method

• US 20030194050A1
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Published: 10/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Eberhard, Jeffrey Wayne, Claus, Bernhard Erich Hermann, Alyassin, Abdalmajeid Musa
• Application Number:
  US10/063,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20030194050A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/037 Emission tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/0414 with compression means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4441 the rigid structure being a C-arm or U-arm
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/508 for non-human patients
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT

Abstract

A multi modality imaging system contains an X-ray imaging subsystem and a nuclear medicine imaging subsystem. The X-ray imaging subsystem may be a tomosynthesis subsystem. The system may be used for mammography imaging, such that the X-ray imaging subsystem and the nuclear medicine imaging subsystem are adapted to image a breast compressed by a breast compression paddle.

Claims

1. A multi modality mammography imaging system, comprising:

a breast compression paddle;

an X-ray mammography imaging subsystem adapted to image a breast compressed by the paddle; and

a nuclear medicine mammography imaging subsystem adapted to image the breast compressed by the paddle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the X-ray mammography imaging subsystem comprises an X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem; and

the nuclear medicine mammography imaging subsystem comprises a scintimammo tomosynthesis subsystem.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a processor which registers an X-ray image with a nuclear medicine image; and

a display which displays a fused X-ray and nuclear medicine image.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem comprises:

an X-ray source adapted to move in an arc shaped path;

a stationary digital X-ray detector; and

a mechanical driving mechanism which is adapted to move the X-ray source in the arc shaped path.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem further comprises a track which is used to move the X-ray source in the arc shaped path.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the scintimammo tomosynthesis subsystem comprises a first nuclear medicine detector located in or over the breast compression paddle.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising at least one second nuclear medicine detector located in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the compression paddle.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the first nuclear medicine detector is removably and rotatably attached in or over the breast compression paddle.

9. A multi modality imaging system, comprising:

an X-ray tomosynthesis subsystem; and

a nuclear medicine imaging subsystem.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

the X-ray tomosynthesis subsystem comprises an X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem; and

the nuclear medicine imaging subsystem comprises a scintimammo tomosynthesis, a positron emission mammography, SPECT or PET subsystem.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a breast compression paddle;

a processor which registers an X-ray image with a nuclear medicine image; and

a display which displays a fused X-ray and nuclear medicine image.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem comprises:

an X-ray source adapted to move in an arc shaped path;

a stationary digital X-ray detector; and

a mechanical driving mechanism which is adapted to move the X-ray source in the arc shaped path.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem further comprises a track which is used to move the X-ray source in the arc shaped path.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the nuclear medicine imaging subsystem comprises a scintimammo tomosynthesis subsystem having a first nuclear medicine detector located in or over the breast compression paddle.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising at least one second nuclear medicine detector located in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the compression paddle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first nuclear medicine detector is removably and rotatably attached in or over the breast compression paddle.

17. The system of claim 9, further comprising an integrated ultrasound imaging subsystem.

18. A multi modality mammography imaging system, comprising:

a first means for compressing a patient'"'"'s breast;

a second means for X-ray imaging the breast compressed by the first means; and

a third means for nuclear medicine imaging the breast compressed by the first means.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a third means for registering a three dimensional X-ray image with a three dimensional nuclear medicine image; and

a fourth means for displaying a three dimensional fused X-ray and nuclear medicine image.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the second means comprises:

a fifth means for irradiating the breast with an X-ray dose at a plurality of steps along an arc shaped path;

a sixth means for mechanically moving the fifth means in a stepped motion on the arc shaped path around the breast; and

a seventh means for detecting the X-rays transmitted through the breast.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the third means comprises an eighth means for detecting gamma rays located in or over the first means.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising at least one ninth means for detecting gamma rays located in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the compression paddle.

23. A nuclear medicine mammography system, comprising:

a breast compression paddle; and

a first nuclear medicine detector which is movably attached in or over the breast compression paddle.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the first nuclear medicine detector is located in the breast compression paddle.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

a positioner assembly adapted to translate and rotate the first nuclear medicine detector relative to the breast compression paddle; and

a decoupling assembly which allows the first nuclear medicine detector to be removed from over or inside the breast compression paddle.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein:

the nuclear medicine mammography system comprises a scintimammography tomosynthesis system; and

the first nuclear medicine detector comprises a gamma ray sensitive scintillator optically coupled to a solid state photo detector or to a photomultiplier tube.

27. The system of claim 26, further comprising a processor which is adapted to generate a three dimensional nuclear medicine image of the breast.

28. The system of claim 23, further comprising at least one second nuclear medicine detector located in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the compression paddle.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the at least one second nuclear medicine detector comprises two nuclear medicine detectors located on opposite sides of a detection volume below the breast compression paddle.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising a third nuclear medicine detector located in a plane substantially perpendicular to the plane of the compression paddle and on an opposite side of the imaging volume from a patient position.

31. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

an X-ray source; and

an X-ray detector.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein:

the X-ray source and the X-ray detector comprise an X-ray mammography tomosynthesis subsystem;

the X-ray source is adapted to be moved in an arc shaped path above the breast compression paddle by a mechanical driving mechanism; and

the X-ray detector is a stationary digital X-ray detector which is located across the imaging volume from the breast compression paddle.

33. A multi modality mammography method, comprising:

compressing a patient'"'"'s breast;

irradiating the compressed breast with X-rays;

detecting the X-rays transmitted through the breast;

acquiring at least one first data set of X-ray modality;

forming a first image of the X-ray modality;

detecting gamma rays emitted from the compressed breast;

acquiring at least one second data set of nuclear medicine modality;

forming a second image of the nuclear medicine modality; and

co-registering the first and the second images.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein:

at least one of the first and the second data sets comprises a three dimensional data set; and

at least one of the first and the second images comprises a three dimensional image.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein:

the first and the second data sets comprise three dimensional data sets; and

the first and the second images comprise a three dimensional image.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein:

a plurality of first data sets are acquired at a plurality of orientations of at least one of an X-ray source and an X-ray detector; and

a plurality of second data sets are acquired at a plurality of orientations of a nuclear medicine detector.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein:

the step of irradiating the compressed breast with X-rays comprises mechanically moving an X-ray source using a track in a stepped motion on an arc shaped path around the compressed breast and irradiating the compressed breast with an X-ray dose from the X-ray source located at a plurality of steps along the arc shaped path;

the step of detecting the X-rays transmitted through the breast comprises detecting the X-rays transmitted through the breast with a stationary digital X-ray detector;

the step of forming a first image of the X-ray modality comprises constructing a three dimensional image of the breast from a signal output by the digital X-ray detector;

the step of detecting gamma rays emitted from the compressed breast comprises detecting gamma rays which pass through a breast compression paddle with a nuclear medicine detector; and

the step of forming a second image of the nuclear medicine modality comprises constructing a three dimensional image of the breast from a signal output by the nuclear medicine detector.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

moving the nuclear medicine detector away from the breast compression paddle prior to the step of irradiating the compressed breast with X-rays; and

moving the nuclear medicine detector into or over the breast compression paddle prior to the step of the step of detecting gamma rays.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

fusing the first image and the second image to form a composite three dimensional image; and

displaying the fused image.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein fusion of the first and the second image is based on mechanically co-registered acquisition, co-registered acquisition supplemented by imaging physics or mutual information based registration.

41. The method of claim 33, further comprising using information from the first data set to acquire the second data set.

42. The method of claim 33, further comprising using information from the first data set to optimize quality of the second image.

43. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the first image comprises at least one of a CT image, an X-ray tomosynthesis image or a two dimensional X-ray mammography image; and

the second image comprises at least one of a SPECT image, a PET image, a positron emission mammography image, a scintimammography tomosynthesis image or a two dimensional scintimammography image.

44. The method of claim 33, further comprising acquiring at least one third data set of ultrasound modality.