Image handling and display in X-ray mammography and tomosynthesis
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of acquiring and displaying x-ray images comprising:
- acquiring x-ray mammography image data Mp representative of projection mammography images of patients'"'"' breasts and x-ray tomosynthesis image data Tp representative of projection images Tp taken at different angles of an origin of imaging x-rays relative to the patients'"'"' breasts, from an acquisition unit configured to selectively acquire said mammography and tomosynthesis image data;
reconstructing at least a subset of the acquired Tp data into reconstructed tomosynthesis image data Tr representative of images of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
displaying at least a selected subcombination of the Mp, Tr and Tp image data as respective Mp, Tp and/or Tr images for concurrent viewing while identifying the displayed images as Mp, Tr and/or Tp images.
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Abstract
A method and system for acquiring, processing, storing, and displaying x-ray mammograms Mp tomosynthesis images Tr representative of breast slices, and x-ray tomosynthesis projection images Tp taken at different angles to a breast, where the Tr images are reconstructed from Tp images
207 Citations
101 Claims
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1. A method of acquiring and displaying x-ray images comprising:
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acquiring x-ray mammography image data Mp representative of projection mammography images of patients'"'"' breasts and x-ray tomosynthesis image data Tp representative of projection images Tp taken at different angles of an origin of imaging x-rays relative to the patients'"'"' breasts, from an acquisition unit configured to selectively acquire said mammography and tomosynthesis image data;
reconstructing at least a subset of the acquired Tp data into reconstructed tomosynthesis image data Tr representative of images of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
displaying at least a selected subcombination of the Mp, Tr and Tp image data as respective Mp, Tp and/or Tr images for concurrent viewing while identifying the displayed images as Mp, Tr and/or Tp images. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90)
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91. A system comprising:
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an acquisition unit comprising a breast platform, a source of x-rays at one side of the platform and an x-ray imaging device at another side of the platform, said acquisition unit selectively acquiring x-ray mammography image data representative of projection mammography images Mp of patients'"'"' breasts on said platform and x-ray tomosynthesis image data representative of tomosynthesis projection images Tp taken at different angles of at least the x-ray source relative to the breast platform;
an image reconstruction unit coupled with the acquisition unit and receiving said image data therefrom and selectively reconstructing at least a subset of the acquired Tp images into reconstructed tomosynthesis images Tr representative of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
a display unit displaying at least a selected subcombination of the Mp, Tr and Tp images for concurrent viewing while showing at or near the displayed images respective labeling symbols identifying them as Mp, Tr or Tp images.
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92. A method of displaying x-ray images comprising:
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providing x-ray mammography image data Mp representative of projection mammography images Mp of patients'"'"' breasts and tomosynthesis images Tr reconstructed from tomosynthesis image data Tp representative of projection images taken at different angles of an origin of imaging x-rays relative to the patients'"'"' breasts;
wherein said images Tr are representative of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
displaying at least a selected subcombination of the Mp, Tr and Tp image data as respective Mp, Tp and/or Tr images for concurrent viewing together with one or more computer aided etection (CAD) marks associated with suspected abnormalities in one or more of said images.
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93. A method of displaying x-ray images comprising:
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providing x-ray mammography image data Mp representative of projection mammography images Mp of patients'"'"' breasts and tomosynthesis images Tr reconstructed from tomosynthesis image data Tp representative of projection images taken at different angles of an origin of imaging x-rays relative to the patients'"'"' breasts;
wherein said images Tr are representative of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
selectively displaying at least a selected subcombination of the Mp, Tr and Tp image data as respective Mp, Tp and/or Tr images for viewing. - View Dependent Claims (95, 96, 97, 99, 100, 101)
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94. A method of displaying x-ray images comprising:
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providing x-ray mammography image data Mp representative of projection mammography images Mp of patients'"'"' breasts and tomosynthesis images Tr reconstructed from tomosynthesis image data Tp representative of projection images taken at different angles of an origin of imaging x-rays relative to the patients'"'"' breasts;
wherein said images Tr are representative of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
selectively displaying one of an Mp image and a Tr image on top of the other for viewing, wherein the top image may be partly transparent or non-transparent.
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98. A method of displaying x-ray images comprising:
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providing x-ray representative of at least one of (i) tomosynthesis images Tp representative of projection images taken at different angles of an origin of imaging x-rays relative to a patients'"'"' breasts, and (ii) reconstructed images Tr reconstructed from selected sets or subsets of said images Tp;
wherein said images Tr are representative of slices of the breasts that have selected orientations and thicknesses; and
selectively displaying stereoscopically selected pairs of at least two of said images Tp or at least two of said images Tr.
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Specification