Mammography system and method employing offset compression paddles, automatic collimation, and retractable anti-scatter grid
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays comprising:
- providing a flat panel digital x-ray receptor having an imaging area, an x-ray source selectively emitting an imaging x-ray beam toward the imaging area of the receptor, a breast platform between the receptor and the source, and an imaging compression paddle having a substantially continuous compression area that is selected to match a size parameter of the patient'"'"'s breast and is substantially smaller than said imaging area of the receptor;
positioning the patient'"'"'s breast on the breast platform off-center between left and right sides of the platform and positioning the compression paddle over the breast, also off-center relative to the left and right sides of the platform and in accordance with the off-center position of the breast;
thereafter moving the compression paddle toward the receptor to complete compressing the patient'"'"'s breast for x-ray imaging;
imaging the breast with said imaging x-ray beam while the breast remains compressed between the paddle and the platform; and
computer processing and displaying resulting x-ray images of the breast.
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Abstract
A mammographic imaging system is optimized for use with a single fixed size flat panel digital image receptor. It accommodates compression devices (paddles) of varying sizes, and positions them properly in the field of view of the image receptor. When a compression paddle with size smaller than the field of view of the image receptor is used, the compression paddle can be shifted laterally in the direction parallel to the chest wall, so as to facilitate different views of different size breasts, and permit the image receptor to image as much of the desired tissue as possible. An automatic x-ray collimator restricts the x-ray illumination of the breast in accordance with compression paddle size and location in the field of view. An anti-scatter grid, mounted inside the image receptor enclosure, just below the top cover of the enclosure, can be retracted out of the field of view of the image receptor for use in magnification imaging.
54 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method of imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays comprising:
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providing a flat panel digital x-ray receptor having an imaging area, an x-ray source selectively emitting an imaging x-ray beam toward the imaging area of the receptor, a breast platform between the receptor and the source, and an imaging compression paddle having a substantially continuous compression area that is selected to match a size parameter of the patient'"'"'s breast and is substantially smaller than said imaging area of the receptor; positioning the patient'"'"'s breast on the breast platform off-center between left and right sides of the platform and positioning the compression paddle over the breast, also off-center relative to the left and right sides of the platform and in accordance with the off-center position of the breast; thereafter moving the compression paddle toward the receptor to complete compressing the patient'"'"'s breast for x-ray imaging; imaging the breast with said imaging x-ray beam while the breast remains compressed between the paddle and the platform; and computer processing and displaying resulting x-ray images of the breast. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. An x-ray breast imaging system comprising:
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a source selectively emitting an imaging x-ray beam for imaging a patient'"'"'s breast; a flat panel digital imaging x-ray receptor having left and right edges and an imaging area selectively illuminated by said imaging beam; a breast platform that is between the source and receptor; a compression paddle that together with the breast platform defines an imaging space in which a patient'"'"'s breast can be positioned for imaging with said x-ray beam; said compression paddle having left and right edges and an area smaller than the imaging area of the receptor; a support to which the compression paddle is mounted for movement relative to the receptor to assume any one of (a) a first imaging position in which the left edge of the paddle is adjacent the left edge of the receptor while the right edge of the paddle is over an area intermediate the left and right edges of the receptor, (b) a second imaging position in which the right edge of the paddle is adjacent the right edge of the receptor while the left edge of the paddle is over an area intermediate the left and right edges of the receptor, and (c) intermediate imaging positions in which both the right and the left edges of the paddle are intermediate the left and right edges of the receptor; whereby a compression paddle is aligned with the patient'"'"'s breast for x-ray imaging of the breast when the breast is offset to the left or to the right relative to the breast platform. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method of imaging a patient'"'"'s breast with x-rays comprising:
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positioning the patient'"'"'s breast on a breast platform off-center between left and right sides of the platform, and providing an imaging receptor under the platform; positioning a compression paddle between the breast and a source of an imaging x-ray beam; said compression paddle having a compression area that is substantially smaller than an area of the receptor, and being over the breast but not in contact with the breast, and also off-center between the left and right sides of the platform; thereafter moving the compression paddle toward an x-ray receptor;
to thereby complete a compression of the patient'"'"'s breast between the paddle and the platform for x-ray imaging of the breast;imaging the breast with said imaging x-ray beam while the breast remains compressed between the paddle and the platform; and computer processing and displaying resulting x-ray images of the breast. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification