Full field mammography with tissue exposure control, tomosynthesis, and dynamic field of view processing
First Claim
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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Accused Products
Abstract
A mammography system using a tissue exposure control relying on estimates of the thickness of the compressed and immobilized breast and of breast density to automatically derive one or more technic factors. The system further uses a tomosynthesis arrangement that maintains the focus of an anti-scatter grid on the x-ray source and also maintains the field of view of the x-ray receptor. Finally, the system finds an outline that forms a reduced field of view that still encompasses the breast in the image, and uses for further processing, transmission or archival storage the data within said reduced field of view.
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Citations
15 Claims
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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:
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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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A fused tomosynthesis/mammography system for imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays selectively in a tomosynthesis mode or in a mammography mode, comprising:
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a breast immobilizer; an x-ray source on one side of the breast immobilizer and a digital x-ray imaging receptor on the other side; a source of breast thickness information providing digital information about a thickness of a patient'"'"'s breast immobilized by said breast immobilizer; a source of density information providing digital information regarding x-ray breast density of a patient'"'"'s breast immobilized by said breast immobilizer; a tissue exposure control calculator receiving said breast thickness and breast density information and automatically generating technic factors including kV and mAs for x-ray exposure of the immobilized breast; a technic factors display coupled with said tissue exposure control calculator, receiving said technic factors therefrom, and displaying at least some of the received factors; a user entry device coupled with said display and providing user input to confirm/modify the displayed technic factors and thereby generate final factors; and a control unit receiving said final technic factors and automatically using the final technic factors in taking more than one imaging x-ray exposure of the immobilized breast when operating in said tomosynthesis mode and at least one x-ray exposure of the breast when operating in said mammography mode. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification