Controlling thick-slice viewing of breast ultrasound data
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Abstract
An adjunctive ultrasound mammography system and associated methods are described in which an ultrasound image being displayed near an x-ray mammogram image may be superimposed thereon or thereunder by a user for facilitating rapid comprehension of breast structures and detection of abnormalities therein. In one preferred embodiment, the x-ray mammogram image corresponds to a standard x-ray mammogram view, and the ultrasound image is a thick-slice image representing a thick-slice or slab-like portion of the breast volume substantially parallel to that standard x-ray mammogram view. In another preferred embodiment, the user is permitted to manually manipulate the registration of the ultrasound image with the x-ray mammogram image. It has been found that the manual registration process, which involves manual vernier adjustments responsive to perceived registration differences, can rapidly increase the radiologist'"'"'s perception of the breast structures being displayed by both component images. Even though ultrasound images tend to have substantially different textures and feature emphases than x-ray images, the bimodal thick-slice/x-ray image, alone or in conjunction with the vernier registration process, can often expose or clarify tissue structures hidden in the separate component images, and can often obviate or explain certain noticed structures in the component images.
156 Citations
70 Claims
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1-50. -50. (canceled)
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51. A method for facilitating review of information representative of a three-dimensional breast ultrasound volume, comprising:
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displaying a two-dimensional thick-slice ultrasound image representative of a sonographic property of the breast within a slab-like subvolume thereof, said slab-like subvolume having a thickness in a range of 2 mm to 20 mm and an elevation from a reference plane;
receiving a user request to vary at least one of the elevation and the thickness of the slab-like subvolume; and
modifying in real time the displayed two-dimensional thick-slice image according to variations made to the at least one of the elevation and thickness of said slab-like subvolume responsive to said user request. - View Dependent Claims (52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57)
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58. An apparatus for facilitating review of information representative of a three-dimensional breast ultrasound volume, comprising:
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a display device; and
a processor coupled with the display device and generating for viewing thereon a two-dimensional thick-slice ultrasound image representative of a sonographic property of the breast within a slab-like subvolume thereof, said slab-like subvolume having a thickness in a range of 2 mm to 20 mm and an elevation from a reference plane;
a user input device for receiving a user request to vary at least one of the elevation and thickness of the slab-like subvolume, said processor varying the at least one of the elevation and thickness responsive to said user request, said processor modifying in real time the two-dimensional thick-slice image according to said variations of the at least one of the elevation and thickness for real time viewing on said display device. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
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65. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium for facilitating review of information representative of a three-dimensional breast ultrasound volume, comprising:
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computer code for displaying a two-dimensional thick-slice ultrasound image representative of a sonographic property of the breast within a slab-like subvolume thereof, said slab-like subvolume having a thickness in a range of 2 mm to 20 mm and an elevation from a reference plane;
computer code for receiving a user request to vary at least one of the elevation and the thickness of the slab-like subvolume; and
computer code for modifying in real time the displayed two-dimensional thick-slice image according to variations made to the at least one of the elevation and thickness of said slab-like subvolume responsive to said user request. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67, 68, 69, 70)
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Specification