Portable compression grid & needle holder
First Claim
1. A portable compression apparatus for radiologically and graphically locating breast lesions along three dimensional coordinates to facilitate cytological examination and treatment thereof, comprising:
- means for mounting said apparatus on the film cassette holder plate of a dedicated mammography unit,a top radiolucent compression plate having a cut-out area and a first rectilinear grid scale around the periphery of said cut-out area,a bottom radiolucent support plate having a second rectilinear grid scale around the periphery thereof, said bottom plate being rotatably and removably connected to said mounting means,first means for supporting said top plate and for adjustably positioning said top and bottom plates one relative to the other on either side of said breast;
said first and second grid scales constructed and arranged to enable formation of corresponding grid scales on the resulting radiograph, which corresponding grid scales, in conjunction with the representation of the lesion also on said radiograph facilitate subsequent direct graphical representation of the location of said lesion relative to said coordinates within said breast,a needle holder and guide assembly adapted to hold a needle for inserting the tip thereof into the lesion, said assembly being adjustable in its position relative to the lesion to enable accurate and reliable insertion of said tip,means providing support and guidance for said needle along two spaced points of the needle to prevent deflection thereof during insertion of said needle tip,said needle holder assembly including first parallel rails on said top plate having calibrations thereon for adjusting the position of said assembly in the Y direction, a first sliding base mounted transversely on said first rails, said first base having second parallel rails mounted longitudinally thereon and having calibrations thereon for adjusting the position of said assembly in the X direction;
a second sliding base mounted transversely on said second rails, and second base having a rod extending vertically therefrom, said rod having calibrations and a slidable needle holder thereon, said calibrations and slidable needle holder for adjusting the position of said assembly in the Z direction;
said second sliding base including a releasable bushing having a lumen through which said needle extends, said bushing and said slidable needle holder providing support and guidance for said needle, said second base and said needle holder also permitting release of said needle from said apparatus while maintaining said needle tip at said location.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for locating breast lesions in three dimensions and placing the tip of a biopsy needle in the lesion includes a compression apparatus having radiopaque grids on top and bottom compression plates. Two rotated x-ray views are taken, one on either side of the vertical, such that the grids are reproduced on the exposures. The coordinates of the lesions on the grids are plotted as intersecting lines to graphically determine the X, Y and Z coordinates of the lesion. The apparatus also includes a biopsy needle holder and guide which is adjustable according to the graphically determined coordinates and which allows release of the needle from the apparatus while maintaining its position in the lesion.
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Citations
21 Claims
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1. A portable compression apparatus for radiologically and graphically locating breast lesions along three dimensional coordinates to facilitate cytological examination and treatment thereof, comprising:
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means for mounting said apparatus on the film cassette holder plate of a dedicated mammography unit, a top radiolucent compression plate having a cut-out area and a first rectilinear grid scale around the periphery of said cut-out area, a bottom radiolucent support plate having a second rectilinear grid scale around the periphery thereof, said bottom plate being rotatably and removably connected to said mounting means, first means for supporting said top plate and for adjustably positioning said top and bottom plates one relative to the other on either side of said breast;
said first and second grid scales constructed and arranged to enable formation of corresponding grid scales on the resulting radiograph, which corresponding grid scales, in conjunction with the representation of the lesion also on said radiograph facilitate subsequent direct graphical representation of the location of said lesion relative to said coordinates within said breast,a needle holder and guide assembly adapted to hold a needle for inserting the tip thereof into the lesion, said assembly being adjustable in its position relative to the lesion to enable accurate and reliable insertion of said tip, means providing support and guidance for said needle along two spaced points of the needle to prevent deflection thereof during insertion of said needle tip, said needle holder assembly including first parallel rails on said top plate having calibrations thereon for adjusting the position of said assembly in the Y direction, a first sliding base mounted transversely on said first rails, said first base having second parallel rails mounted longitudinally thereon and having calibrations thereon for adjusting the position of said assembly in the X direction;
a second sliding base mounted transversely on said second rails, and second base having a rod extending vertically therefrom, said rod having calibrations and a slidable needle holder thereon, said calibrations and slidable needle holder for adjusting the position of said assembly in the Z direction;
said second sliding base including a releasable bushing having a lumen through which said needle extends, said bushing and said slidable needle holder providing support and guidance for said needle, said second base and said needle holder also permitting release of said needle from said apparatus while maintaining said needle tip at said location. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. The method of locating a breast lesion using an x-ray source comprising:
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taking a first radiograph of a breast at a first position relative to the x-ray source, wherein said breast is positioned between first and second compression plates having first and second sets of radio-opaque locating grids thereon respectively to provide a first radiograph of the lesion, said first radiograph having a picture of said first and second sets of locating grids thereon, taking a second radiograph of the same breast at a second position relative to said x-ray source wherein said breast is positioned between said first and second compression plates having said first and second sets of locating grids thereon, to provide a second radiograph of the lesion, said second radiograph having a picture of said first and second sets of locating grids thereon, the position of said breast between said plates being substantially the same in said step of taking said second radiograph as it is in said step of taking said first radiograph, measuring a distance between said first and second sets locating grids when the compressed breast is there-between, said first set of locating grids defining a first plane, the central axis of the x-ray when taking said first radiograph having a first angle to said first plane, the central axis of said x-ray when taking said second radiograph having a second angle to said first plane, said first and second angles being substantially different, and analyzing the position of said lesion in said first and second radiographs relative to coordinates of said first and second grids in each of said radiographs to provide a location of said lesion in three dimensional space. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. Apparatus for locating a breast lesion using an x-ray source comprising:
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first and second spaced apart compression plates having first and second sets of radio-opaque locating grids thereon respectively, and mounting means for mounting said plates to a mammography unit and for holding said plates spaced apart from one another when so mounted, said mounting means including means to adjust the distance between said plates, and means for measuring the distance between said plates when said plates are mounted by said mounting means to a mammography unit. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification