Breast tomosynthesis system with shifting face shield
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An x-ray system for imaging a patient'"'"'s breast, comprising:
- an x-ray source selectively emitting an imaging x-ray beam, an x-ray imaging receptor receiving the imaging beam, and a breast platform between the source and the receptor, said breast platform having a front edge against which a patient'"'"'s chest wall presses when the patient'"'"'s breast is imaged with said imaging beam;
a patient shield and a shield support supporting the shield between the source and the breast platform at least for selective back-and-forth movement of the shield between selected back-and-forth positions comprising a protective position and an access position;
wherein the protective position is closer to the front edge of the breast platform than the access position.
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Abstract
Breast imaging using any one of a mammography system, a tomosynthesis system, or a fused system that selectively takes either or both of mammography images and tomosynthesis images, further uses a patient shield that moves closer to and further away from the patient'"'"'s chest and head, between (1) an access position that facilitates the technologist'"'"'s access to adjust the patient'"'"'s breast while the breast is being compressed and (b) a protective position in which the shield helps protect the patient from collision with moving components and from x-ray exposure of tissue other than the tissue that is to be imaged.
183 Citations
30 Claims
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1. An x-ray system for imaging a patient'"'"'s breast, comprising:
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an x-ray source selectively emitting an imaging x-ray beam, an x-ray imaging receptor receiving the imaging beam, and a breast platform between the source and the receptor, said breast platform having a front edge against which a patient'"'"'s chest wall presses when the patient'"'"'s breast is imaged with said imaging beam; a patient shield and a shield support supporting the shield between the source and the breast platform at least for selective back-and-forth movement of the shield between selected back-and-forth positions comprising a protective position and an access position; wherein the protective position is closer to the front edge of the breast platform than the access position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of operating a breast imaging x-ray system, comprising:
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positioning a patient'"'"'s breast on a breast platform having a front edge against which the patient'"'"'s chest wall presses; operating a patient shield supported at least for back-and-forth movement relative to the breast platform between selected back-and-forth positions relative to the breast support, including a protective position and an access position, by moving the patient shield toward the front edge of the breast platform and into the protective position from the access position in which the shield is further from the breast platform'"'"'s front edge; and taking at least one x-ray imaging exposure of the breast with an imaging x-ray imaging beam emitted from an x-ray source on one side of the breast and the breast platform and received by an x-ray imaging receptor on the other side, while the patient shield is in its protective position and the beast remains compressed. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A fused tomosynthesis/mammography system for imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays, comprising:
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an x-ray source selectively emitting an x-ray imaging beam, an x-ray imaging receptor receiving the imaging beam, and a breast immobilizer between the source and receptor, said breast immobilizer being in the path of the imaging beam and having a front edge against which the patient'"'"'s chest wall presses when a patient'"'"'s breast is being imaged with said imaging beam; a first support arm supporting the source and mounted for rotation about a first axis spaced from the source; a second support arm supporting the breast immobilizer and the receptor and mounted for rotation about a second axis; a control computer selectively rotating the first and second support arms and the breast immobilizer as a unit in a mammography mode of operation of the system and, in a tomosynthesis mode of operation, rotating at least the first support arm relative to the breast immobilizer; a patient shield mounted to said second arm at least for selective back-and-forth motion selected positions comprising a protective position in which the shield is closer to said front edge of the breast immobilizer and an access position in which the shield is further from said front edge. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
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Specification