FULL FIELD MAMMOGRAPHY WITH TISSUE EXPOSURE CONTROL, TOMOSYNTHESIS, AND DYNAMIC FIELD OF VIEW PROCESSING

• US 20090010384A1
• Filed: 09/18/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Inventors: Jing, Zhenxue, Smith, Andrew, Stein, Jay A., Kennedy, Donald, Hitzke, Georgia
• Granted Patent: US 7,760,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 378/37
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/025 Tomosynthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/06 Diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4035 the source being combined with a filter or grating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/4291 the detector being combined with a grid or grating
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/482 involving multiple energy imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography

Abstract

A mammography system using a tissue exposure control relying on estimates of the thickness of the compressed and immobilized breast and of breast density to automatically derive one or more technic factors. The system further uses a tomosynthesis arrangement that maintains the focus of an anti-scatter grid on the x-ray source and also maintains the field of view of the x-ray receptor. Finally, the system finds an outline that forms a reduced field of view that still encompasses the breast in the image, and uses for further processing, transmission or archival storage the data within said reduced field of view.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A fused tomosynthesis/mammography system comprising:

an x-ray source mounted to movement along a tomosynthesis trajectory and between mammography imaging positions;

said x-rays source emitting imaging x-rays while moving along said tomosynthesis trajectory, and emitting imaging x-rays while stationary at said mammography imaging positions;

compression surfaces configured to immobilize a patient'"'"'s breast;

an imaging receptor mounted to receive said imaging x-rays, after passage thereof through the compression surfaces, both when the x-ray source is emitting the imaging x-rays in the course of moving along said tomosynthesis trajectory and when the source is emitting the imaging x-rays while at said mammograph imaging positions;

an anti-scatter grid mounted to reside between the compression surfaces and the imaging receptor when the x-ray source is emitting x-rays while at said mammography imaging positions such that the imaging x-rays from the source pass through said grid, but to be out of the path of said imaging x-rays when the x-ray source is emitting the imaging x-rays while moving along said tomosynthesis imaging position; and

a control selectively causing the system to operate in a tomosynthesis mode in which the x-ray source emits the imaging x-rays while moving along the tomosynthesis trajectory or in a mammography mode in which the x-ray source emits the imaging x-rays while stationary in one or more of said mammography imaging positions.