Precision mammographic needle biopsy system
First Claim
1. A precision mammographic needle biopsy apparatus comprising:
- table means for supporting a female patient in a prone position, the table means comprising a head portion having a breast aperture therein through which one of the patient'"'"'s breasts is permitted to pendulantly protrude for examination, the table means further comprising a foot portion hingedly attached to the head portion and arranged for gradual motion between a depending mounting and dismounting position and a position of substantial alignment with the head portion;
pedestal means supporting the table means, the pedestal means including motor control means for controllably raising and lowering the table means and for controllably, gradually moving the foot portion of the table means between the depending mounting and dismounting position and the position of substantial alignment with the head portion of the table means to facilitate mounting from a standing position and dismounting to a standing position by the patient, the motor control means being further operative for selectively tilting the table means, film holder arm, and X-ray arm in concert with respect to a horizontal plane;
a film holder arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means, the film holder arm supporting an X-ray film holder, a compression paddle for compressing the patient'"'"'s pendulant breast into a mammographic position, and a puncture instrument for controllably retaining a biopsy needle; and
an X-ray arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means in vertical alignment with the film holder arm, the X-ray arm supporting X-ray means for directing an X-ray beam in alignment with the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto an X-ray film retained in the X-ray film holder to thereby produce an X-ray film image of the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A precision mammographic needle biopsy system in which a patient having a suspected non-palpable lesion of the breast lies on a table having a breast aperture therein through which the patient'"'"'s breast pendulantly protrudes includes a compression paddle for selectively compressing the breast against an X-ray film holder to firmly hold the breast in a suitable projection; a radially pivoting X-ray arm arranged to direct an X-ray beam in horizontal alignment with the patient'"'"'s breast onto an X-ray film; a radially pivoting X-ray film holder arm supporting both the X-ray film holder and a puncture instrument holding a biopsy needle having adjustable azimuth angle, elevation angle, and insertion depth parameters; and a computer-digitizer console including a cursor and having a light box digitizer view area for viewing and digitizing a point of interest depicted in two stereoscopic X-ray images of the patient'"'"'s breast, a computer for analyzing the relative positions of the point of interest depicted on the two stereoscopic X-ray images with reference to a pair of reference marks projected onto each of the images and for determinig the location in 3-dimensional space of the point of interest specified by the azimuth angle, elevation angle, and insertion depth parameters of the biopsy needle, and a visual display for displaying these parameters to the operator.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A precision mammographic needle biopsy apparatus comprising:
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table means for supporting a female patient in a prone position, the table means comprising a head portion having a breast aperture therein through which one of the patient'"'"'s breasts is permitted to pendulantly protrude for examination, the table means further comprising a foot portion hingedly attached to the head portion and arranged for gradual motion between a depending mounting and dismounting position and a position of substantial alignment with the head portion; pedestal means supporting the table means, the pedestal means including motor control means for controllably raising and lowering the table means and for controllably, gradually moving the foot portion of the table means between the depending mounting and dismounting position and the position of substantial alignment with the head portion of the table means to facilitate mounting from a standing position and dismounting to a standing position by the patient, the motor control means being further operative for selectively tilting the table means, film holder arm, and X-ray arm in concert with respect to a horizontal plane; a film holder arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means, the film holder arm supporting an X-ray film holder, a compression paddle for compressing the patient'"'"'s pendulant breast into a mammographic position, and a puncture instrument for controllably retaining a biopsy needle; and an X-ray arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means in vertical alignment with the film holder arm, the X-ray arm supporting X-ray means for directing an X-ray beam in alignment with the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto an X-ray film retained in the X-ray film holder to thereby produce an X-ray film image of the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A precision mammographic needle biopsy apparatus comprising:
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table means for supporting a female patient in a prone position, the table means having a breast aperture therein through which one of the patient'"'"'s breasts is permitted to pendulantly protrude for examination; pedestal means supporting the table means, the pedestal means including motor control means for controllably raising and lowering the table means; a film holder arm supporting an X-ray film holder, a compression paddle for compressing the patient'"'"'s pendulant breast into a mammographic position, and a puncture instrument for controllably retaining a biopsy needle; first tapered roller bearing means cooperatively coupling the film holder arm to the pedestal means for permitting radial motion of the film holder arm in a first horizontal plane; an X-ray arm supporting X-ray means for directing an X-ray beam in alignment with the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto an X-ray film retained in the X-ray film holder to thereby produce an X-ray film image of the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast under examination; and second tapered roller bearing means vertically aligned with the first tapered roller bearing means and cooperatively coupling the X-ray arm to the pedestal means for permitting radial motion of the X-ray arm in a second horizontal plane. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A precision mammographic needle biopsy apparatus comprising:
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table means for supporting a female patient in a prone position, the table means having a breast aperture therein through which one of the patient'"'"'s breasts is permitted to pendulantly protrude for examination; pedestal means supporting the table means, the pedestal means including motor control means for controllably raising and lowering the table means; a film holder arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means for horizontal radial motion, the film holder arm supporting an X-ray film holder, a compression paddle for compressing the patient'"'"'s pendulant breast into a mammographic position, and a puncture instrument for controllably retaining a biopsy needle; an X-ray arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means in vertical alignment with the film holder arm, the X-ray arm adapted for horizontal radial motion and for supporting X-ray means for directing a first X-ray beam in alignment with the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto an X-ray film retained in the X-ray film holder when the X-ray arm is in a first position relative to a plane of the X-ray film and for directing a second X-ray beam in alignment with the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto the X-ray film when the X-ray arm is in a second position relative to the plane of the X-ray film to thereby produce first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images of the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast under examination; means for projecting aligned left and right reference marks onto the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images; and computer-digitizer means, including a digitizer platen/light box viewing surface and digitizer cursor means, the digitizer platen/light box viewing surface being operative for receiving the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images of the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast and for permitting the operator to view those first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images to identify a point of interest within the patient'"'"'s compressed pendulant breast depicted in each of the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images, the computer-digitizer means being thereafter operative for digitizing, in response to actuation of the digitizer cursor means when sequentially positioned over the left and right reference marks and the identified point of interest depicted on the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images, the identified point of interest with respect to the aligned left and right reference marks, the computer-digitzer means being further operative for automatically computing the spatial coordinates of the identified point of interest in terms of vertical angle, horizontal angle, and insertion depth parameters relative to insertion of the biopsy needle to the identified point of interest, and for visually displaying those computed spatial coordinates of the identified point of interest to the operator. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification