Mammography system and method employing offset compression paddles, automatic collimation, and retractable anti-scatter grid
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mammographic imaging system is optimized for use with a single fixed size flat panel digital image receptor. It accommodates compression devices (paddles) of varying sizes, and positions them properly in the field of view of the image receptor. When a compression paddle with size smaller than the field of view of the image receptor is used, the compression paddle can be shifted laterally in the direction parallel to the chest wall, so as to facilitate different views of different size breasts, and permit the image receptor to image as much of the desired tissue as possible. An automatic x-ray collimator restricts the x-ray illumination of the breast in accordance with compression paddle size and location in the field of view. An anti-scatter grid, mounted inside the image receptor enclosure, just below the top cover of the enclosure, can be retracted out of the field of view of the image receptor for use in magnification imaging.
107 Citations
71 Claims
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1-30. -30. (canceled)
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31. A method of imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays comprising:
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providing a flat panel digital x-ray receptor having an imaging surface that has two side edges and a proximal edge that is elongated generally along the patient'"'"'s chest wall when imaging a patient'"'"'s breast, and an x-ray source selectively emitting an x-ray beam toward the receptor;
compressing the breast between the receptor and a compression paddle for imaging with said x-ray beam;
wherein the compressed breast is off-center relative to the length of said proximal edge and closer to one of the side edges than to the other; and
imaging the breast with x-rays emitted from the source and received by the digital receptor while the breast is compressed between the receptor and the paddle;
wherein the x-ray beam illuminates less than the entire imaging surface of the receptor during said imaging. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A mammography system comprising:
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a flat panel digital x-ray receptor having an imaging surface and a proximal edge that extends along a patient'"'"'s chest wall when imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays;
an x-ray source selectively emitting a collimated x-ray beam toward the receptor;
a compression paddle that has an area smaller than said imaging surface;
at least one of said receptor and said compression paddle being mounted for selective movement first along the length of said proximal edge before compressing a patient'"'"'s breast and second along a direction of said beam to compress the breast before imaging the breast with said x-ray beam and to release the breast after said imaging;
said movement along the length of said proximal edge of the receptor before compressing the breast assisting in maintaining the breast off-center relative to the length of said proximal edge during said x-ray imaging. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59)
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60. A method of carrying out x-ray breast imaging comprising:
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providing a single-size, flat panel, digital x-ray receptor for use in all breast imaging a selected x-ray image acquisition system, said receptor having a proximal edge that extends along a chest wall of a patient during x-ray imaging of a patient'"'"'s breast;
compressing a patient'"'"'s breast between the receptor and a compression paddle such that the compressed breast is at a position selected to be offset from a center of said proximal edge; and
imaging the compressed breast with x-rays collimated in accordance with said offset position of the breast such that a center plane of the x-rays intersects said proximal edge at a position selected to be offset from the center of the proximal edge. - View Dependent Claims (61)
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62. An x-ray mammography system comprising:
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a flat panel, digital x-ray receptor having an imaging surface and a proximal edge that extends along a patent'"'"'s chest wall during x-ray imaging of a patient'"'"'s breast;
an x-ray source selectively emitting a collimated x-ray beam toward the receptor;
a compression paddle having a compressing area smaller than said imaging area; and
a mounting arrangement for receptor and said paddle selectively moving at least one of the receptor and paddle relative to the other generally along a centerline of said x-ray beam and also along a direction along the length of said proximal edge, including to positions in which a center of said paddle is offset from a center of said proximal edge;
said x-ray source collimating said x-ray beam such that said centerline of the beam is oriented in a direction related to a selected relative position of the paddle and receptor, including at positions in which respective centers of the paddle and receptor are offset from each other in a direction along the length of the proximal edge; and
said collimation changing with changes in the relative positions of centers of the paddle and the proximal edge.
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63. A system comprising:
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an x-ray source selectively emitting an x-ray beam;
a flat panel, digital x-ray receptor positioned to receive x-rays emitted from said source;
said receptor having a proximal edge that is closest to a patient'"'"'s chest wall during x-ray imaging of a patient'"'"'s breast;
a compression paddle mounted to selectively compress a patient'"'"'s breast toward the receptor for imaging with said x-ray beam;
said paddle being selectively positioned with a centerline thereof that is transverse to said proximal edge being offset from a center of the proximal edge; and
said x-ray source collimating said x-ray beam to direct the beam in a direction related to the offset of the paddle centerline from the center of said proximal edge
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64. A method of carrying out x-ray breast imaging comprising:
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providing an imaging flat-panel digital x-ray receptor having an imaging surface and a proximal edge that extends along a patient'"'"'s chest wall during x-ray imaging of a patient'"'"'s breast;
selectively compressing the breast at a position offset from a center of said proximal edge of the receptor, using a compression paddle that has a compressing area smaller than said imaging surface, said receptor and paddle being mounted for selective movement of at least one relative to the other in a direction along the lenght of said proximal edge of the receptor; and
imaging the compressed breast with an x-ray beam, said beam having a center that is offset from said center of the proximal edge of the receptor in said direction.
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65. A method of breast imaging with x-rays comprising:
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providing an imaging flat-panel digital x-ray receptor having a proximal edge that extends along a patient'"'"'s chest wall during cranio-caudal x-ray imaging of a patient'"'"'s breast, and a compression paddle for selectively compressing the breast toward the receptor;
selectively causing relative movement between the paddle and the receptor in a direction along the proximal edge of the x-ray receptor, thus offseting a center of the paddle from a center of the proximal edge of the x-ray receptor, wherein at least some of said relative movement takes place before the breast is compressed for imaging; and
imaging the breast in a cranio-caudal or another orientation with x-rays while the centers of the paddle and the proximal edge of the x-ray receptor are offset in the direction along the proximal edge. - View Dependent Claims (66, 67)
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68. A system comprising:
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an x-ray source and an imaging flat panel digital x-ray receptor spaced from each other along an x-ray beam axis;
a compression paddle mounted between the source and receptor, wherein at least one of the paddle and receptor is selectively movable relative to the other in a first direction along the x-ray beam axis to compress a patient'"'"'s breast;
said receptor having a proximal edge that extends along a patient'"'"'s chest wall when the source and receptor are taking a cranio-caudal x-ray image a patient'"'"'s breast; and
said paddle and receptor being mounted for relative motion with respect to each other in a second direction that is along the proximate edge of the receptor and is transverse to the first direction to thereby selectively offset a center of the paddle relative to a center of the edge before the breast is compressed due to said movement in the first direction, for taking an x-ray image of a breast compressed due to said movement in the first direction, said image being taken in a cranio-caudal or another orientation. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71)
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Specification