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Method and device for mechanical imaging of breast

  • US 5,860,934 A
  • Filed: 02/27/1996
  • Issued: 01/19/1999
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/21/1992
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. The method of identifying a region within a tissue portion of a human breast having a different elasticity than the surrounding tissue, said method comprising the steps of:

  • causing a deformation of an examined tissue portion of said breast;

    detecting temporal and spatial changes in a pressure pattern caused by said deformation measured on the surface of the examined tissue portion;

    defining a model of the tissue portion with homogenous tissue and with boundary conditions corresponding to the examined tissue portion;

    evaluation respective temporal and spatial changes in the pressure pattern for said defined model under the same loading conditions as in the detecting step;

    adjusting iteratively said defined model by varying a spatial distribution of modulus of elasticity in the model to minimize the difference between said temporal and spatial changes in the pressure pattern obtained in the detecting step and the respective temporal and spatial changes in the pressure pattern evaluated for the adjusted model, thereby obtaining spatial distribution of elasticity modulus in the tissue portion; and

    visualizing and displaying spatial distribution of modulus of elasticity in said adjusted model of the examined tissue portion for indicating the presence and location of a differing elasticity region of tissue within the examined tissue portion.

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