Full-field breast image data processing and archiving
First Claim
1. A system for processing medical image data corresponding to a breast, comprising:
- a source of a three-dimensional data volume representing at least one physical property within the breast;
a processor coupled with said source to receive said three-dimensional data volume to compute therefrom a two-dimensional thick-slice image representing said at least one physical property of the breast in a slab-like subvolume thereof;
a display coupled with said processor and displaying said thick-slice image to a viewer; and
an archiving device coupled with said processor to receive said two-dimensional thick-slice image, said archiving device generating an archival dataset including said two-dimensional thick-slice image, said archiving device transferring said archival dataset to a tangible storage medium for archiving purposes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system, computer program product, and related methods are described for obtaining, processing, and/or and archiving full-field breast image data, such as full-field breast ultrasound (FFBU) data, in a manner that promotes ready integration with current x-ray mammogram-based breast cancer screening methodologies, and which can alternatively be used to support a full-field-only environment, Two-dimensional thick-slice images computed from a three-dimensional data volume are used to facilitate efficient archiving for a breast imaging session, the two-dimensional thick-slice images corresponding to slab-like subvolumes of the breast. Clinician data overload problems that can arise from the existence of large amounts of three-dimensional full-field breast image data are reduced. Archive space is also preserved while still providing sufficient information data for future reference purposes. Related adjunctive full-field workflow methods are also described. The described embodiments are applicable to FFBU imaging and other full-field breast imaging modalities such as MRI, CT, PET, and others.
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Citations
46 Claims
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1. A system for processing medical image data corresponding to a breast, comprising:
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a source of a three-dimensional data volume representing at least one physical property within the breast;
a processor coupled with said source to receive said three-dimensional data volume to compute therefrom a two-dimensional thick-slice image representing said at least one physical property of the breast in a slab-like subvolume thereof;
a display coupled with said processor and displaying said thick-slice image to a viewer; and
an archiving device coupled with said processor to receive said two-dimensional thick-slice image, said archiving device generating an archival dataset including said two-dimensional thick-slice image, said archiving device transferring said archival dataset to a tangible storage medium for archiving purposes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method for breast cancer screening, comprising:
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prior to an x-ray mammogram visit to a medical clinic by a patient, accessing previously recorded medical information corresponding to that patient;
during said x-ray mammogram visit, obtaining at least one x-ray mammogram of the patient'"'"'s breasts, including compressing each breast along at least one standard x-ray mammogram view plane;
comparing said previously recorded medical information to preselected qualifying criteria for determining whether the patient should receive adjunctive breast ultrasound screening; and
if it is determined at said comparing step that the patient should receive adjunctive breast ultrasound screening;
acquiring volumetric ultrasound scans of the patient'"'"'s breasts prior to releasing the patient from said x-ray mammogram visit, said acquiring including compressing each breast along said at least one standard x-ray mammogram view plane;
generating for each breast a plurality of two-dimensional thick-slice images, each thick-slice image representing sonographic properties of a corresponding slab-like volume of the breast substantially parallel to said standard x-ray mammogram view plane and having a thickness between about 2 mm and 20 mm; and
for each breast, viewing at least one diagnostic-quality image derived from said at least one x-ray mammogram in conjunction with one or more of said thick-slice images for detecting suspicious lesions therein. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A system for processing breast ultrasound data, comprising:
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a source of (i) a first three-dimensional data volume representing a sonographic property of a breast compressed along a first compression plane, and (ii) a second three-dimensional data volume representing the sonographic property of the breast compressed along a second compression plane substantially nonparallel to said first compression plane;
a processor coupled with said source to receive said first and second three-dimensional data volumes to compute therefrom (i) a first set of two-dimensional thick-slice images each representing the sonographic property of the breast in a slab-like subvolume thereof as the breast is compressed along said first compression plane, and (ii) a second set of two-dimensional thick-slice images each representing the sonographic property of the breast in a slab-like subvolume thereof as the breast is compressed along said second compression plane; and
an archiving device coupled with said processor to receive said first and second sets of two-dimensional thick-slice images, said archiving device generating an archival dataset including said first and second sets of thick-slice images, said archiving device transferring said archival dataset to a tangible storage medium. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A computer program product stored on a tangible storage medium encoding instructions for processing breast ultrasound data, comprising computer code for receiving (i) a first three-dimensional data volume representing a sonographic property of a breast compressed along a first compression plane, and (ii) a second three-dimensional data volume representing the sonographic property of the breast compressed along a second compression plane substantially nonparallel to said first compression plane;
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computer code for computing from said first and second three-dimensional data volumes (i) a first set of two-dimensional thick-slice images each representing the sonographic property of the breast in a slab-like subvolume thereof as the breast is compressed along said first compression plane, and (ii) a second set of two-dimensional thick-slice images each representing the sonographic property of the breast in a slab-like subvolume thereof as the breast is compressed along said second compression plane; and
computer code for generating an archival dataset including said first and second sets of thick-slice images; and
computer code for instantiating a transfer of said archival dataset to an archival medium. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A method, comprising:
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receiving a three-dimensional data volume representing at least one physical property within a breast;
computing from said three-dimensional data volume a two-dimensional thick-slice image representing said at least one physical property in a slab-like subvolume of the breast;
displaying said two-dimensional thick-slice image to a viewer in conjunction with at least one x-ray mammogram image of the breast; and
generating an archival dataset including said two-dimensional thick-slice image and including data that associates said two-dimensional thick-slice image with said at least one x-ray mammogram image. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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Specification