Multiple antennae breast screening system
First Claim
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1. Microwave breast tumor detection apparatus comprising;
- a plurality of microwave receiving antennae,means for supporting said receiving antennae in opposed array conforming substantially in size to the breast being screened,means coupled from said receiving antenna arrays for detecting temperature readings corresponding respectively to the breast temperature at sites underlying the receiving antennae,said means for supporting including separately disposed housings for supporting the respective opposed arrays,and means associated with said antenna supporting means for compressing the breast between said opposed arrays so as to reduce tissue thickness being examined.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for cancerous tumor detection employing a plurality of microwave antennae supported in an array conforming substantially in size to the breast that is being screened. In one embodiment of the invention a single array is used and another embodiment for larger breasts a pair of arrays are used. A microwave radiometer is used for detecting temperature readings corresponding respectively to the breast temperature at sites underlying the receiving antennae. Also, in accordance with the invention compression is employed so as to reduce tissue thickness enabling far more rapid reading of antenna sites.
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Citations
31 Claims
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1. Microwave breast tumor detection apparatus comprising;
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a plurality of microwave receiving antennae, means for supporting said receiving antennae in opposed array conforming substantially in size to the breast being screened, means coupled from said receiving antenna arrays for detecting temperature readings corresponding respectively to the breast temperature at sites underlying the receiving antennae, said means for supporting including separately disposed housings for supporting the respective opposed arrays, and means associated with said antenna supporting means for compressing the breast between said opposed arrays so as to reduce tissue thickness being examined. - 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 the detection of a cancerous tumor comprising the steps of, providing a plurality of microwave receiving antennae, supporting these antennae in opposed arrays conforming substantially in size to the breast being screened, supporting the opposed arrays in respective support members, compressing the breast between said support members so as to reduce tissue thickness that is being examined, and detecting the temperature readings with the breast compressed corresponding, respectively, to the breast temperature at sites underlying the receiving antennae.
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27. A microwave breast tumor detection apparatus comprising:
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a first plurality of microwave receiving antennae, a first housing supporting said first plurality of microwave receiving antennae in a first array conforming substantially in size to the breast being screened, a second plurality of microwave receiving antennae, a second housing supporting said second plurality of microwave receiving antennae in a second array conforming substantially in size to said first array, means coupled from said receiving antenna arrays for detecting temperature readings corresponding respectively to the breast temperature at sites underlying the receiving antennae, and means commonly intercoupling said first and second housings to provide disposition of said first and second antenna arrays in contacting breast position at respective opposite sides of the breast being screened and including means for moving the housings together to compress the breast so as to reduce tissue thickness to thereby reduce blood circulation in the breast thus reducing the temperature of the tissue surrounding the tumor in comparison to the tumor temperature to thus enhance the temperature differential between the tumor site and surrounding tissue. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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31. A method of detecting a breast tumor comprising the steps of, providing a first plurality of microwave receiving antenna, supporting the first plurality of microwaves receiving antennae and a first array conforming substantially in size to the breast being screened, providing a second plurality of microwave receiving antennae, supporting the second plurality of microwave receiving antennae and a second array conforming substantially in size to said first array, detecting temperature readings corresponding respectively to the breast temperature at sites underlying the receiving antennae, disposing the first and second antennae arrays in contacting breast position at respective opposite sides of the breast being screened and moving the housings together to compress the breast so as to reduce tissue thickness to thereby reduce blood circulation in the breast thus reducing the temperature of the tissue surrounding the tumor in comparison to the tumor temperature to thus enhance the temperature differential between the tumor site and surrounding tissue.
Specification