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Full field mammography with tissue exposure control, tomosynthesis, and dynamic field of view processing

  • US 7,949,091 B2
  • Filed: 02/03/2010
  • Issued: 05/24/2011
  • Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A fused tomosynthesis/mammogaphy method of imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays selectively in a tomosynthesis mode or in a mammography mode, comprising:

  • computer-processing information provided by compressing a patient'"'"'s breast with a compression paddle to an imaging position between a dual energy x-ray source and a digital x-ray imaging receptor and pulsing the breast with dual energy x-rays from the source and detecting the x-rays received by the digital imaging receptor, thereby generating digital information describing both thickness of the breast and x-ray density of the breast;

    providing at least the breast thickness and x-ray density information of the breast to a tissue exposure calculator that automatically generates technic factors including kV and mAs for x-ray exposure of the breast;

    displaying the technic factors generated by the tissue exposure calculator for confirmation or modification by a user; and

    following said confirmation or modification by the user, taking more than one imaging x-ray exposure of the breast when selectively operating in said tomosynthesis mode and at least one x-ray exposure of the breast when operating in said mammography mode, by automatically using the technic factors confirmed or modified by the user.

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