X-ray imaging with x-ray markers that provide adjunct information but preserve image quality
First Claim
1. A breast x-ray imaging method comprising:
- concurrently x-ray imaging a first pattern of markers on or in a breast compression paddle and a patient'"'"'s breast immobilized between the paddle and an x-ray imaging receptor to thereby form a composite x-ray image in which both markers of the first pattern of markers and the breast are imaged, wherein an x-ray image of at least a part of the first pattern of markers is superimposed on an image of the breast in said composite x-ray image and some of the markers are above a noise level of their spatial environment;
computer-processing the composite x-ray image by (a) searching for image signals that are below a noise level of their spatial environment to thereby find locations in the composite x-ray image of markers of said first pattern of markers, and (b) removing contributions to the composite image of image markers at locations found in said searching but leaving, at said found locations, contributions of the breast that had been present at the found locations before said removing of marker contributions;
computer-processing information related to found locations of markers to derive geometric information regarding markers of the first pattern of markers imaged in said composite x-ray image;
computer-processing the geometric information to derive thickness information related to a thickness of the immobilized breast; and
using the thickness information for at least one of assessment of the imaged breast and further x-ray imaging of the breast.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and an apparatus for estimating a geometric thickness of a breast in mammography/tomosynthesis or in other x-ray procedures, by imaging markers that are in the path of x-rays passing through the imaged object. The markings can be selected to be visible or to be invisible when the composite markings/breast image is viewed in clinical settings. If desired, the contribution of the markers to the image can be removed through further processing. The resulting information can be used determining the geometric thickness of the body being x-rayed and thus setting imaging parameters that are thickness-related, and for other purposes. The method and apparatus also have application in other types of x-ray imaging.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A breast x-ray imaging method comprising:
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concurrently x-ray imaging a first pattern of markers on or in a breast compression paddle and a patient'"'"'s breast immobilized between the paddle and an x-ray imaging receptor to thereby form a composite x-ray image in which both markers of the first pattern of markers and the breast are imaged, wherein an x-ray image of at least a part of the first pattern of markers is superimposed on an image of the breast in said composite x-ray image and some of the markers are above a noise level of their spatial environment; computer-processing the composite x-ray image by (a) searching for image signals that are below a noise level of their spatial environment to thereby find locations in the composite x-ray image of markers of said first pattern of markers, and (b) removing contributions to the composite image of image markers at locations found in said searching but leaving, at said found locations, contributions of the breast that had been present at the found locations before said removing of marker contributions; computer-processing information related to found locations of markers to derive geometric information regarding markers of the first pattern of markers imaged in said composite x-ray image; computer-processing the geometric information to derive thickness information related to a thickness of the immobilized breast; and using the thickness information for at least one of assessment of the imaged breast and further x-ray imaging of the breast. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A mammography/tomosynthesis apparatus comprising:
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a breast immobilizer comprising a breast platform and a breast compression paddle with a first pattern of markers, said paddle and platform being configured to move toward each other to position a patient'"'"'s breast between the paddle and platform and flatten and immobilize the breast; an x-ray source on one side of the immobilizer and an x-ray imaging receptor on the other side; a control selectively energizing the x-ray source to emit an x-ray beam that traverses the paddle, the immobilized breast and the breast platform and impinges on the x-ray receptor, said receptor being configured to provide in response image information describing a composite x-ray image containing information regarding markers of the first pattern of markers imaged in said composite x-ray image and regarding the immobilized breast imaged in said image, wherein at least a portion of the imaged markers is superimposed on imaged breast tissue in said composite x-ray image and some of the imaged markers are above a noise level of their spatial environment; a processor coupled with the x-ray receptor to receive from the receptor image information describing the composite x-ray image, said processor being configured to process the received image information to (a) search for image signals that are below noise levels in their spatial environment to thereby find locations in the composite x-ray image of markers of the first pattern, (b) derive geometric information regarding markers of the first pattern of markers imaged therein, (c) process the geometric information to derive thickness information related to thickness of the immobilized breast, and (d) remove contributions of markers from said composite x-ray image but leaving contributions of the breast that had been present at said found locations before said removing of marker contributions; said processor further being configured to use the thickness information in at least one of (i) assessment of the breast imaged in the x-ray image and (ii) providing information related to parameters involved in controlling further x-ray imaging of the breast; and a display selectively showing a display related to said x-ray image information. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A method comprising:
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x-ray imaging a first pattern of markers situated at a selected location relative to an object that is between an x-ray source and an imaging plane of an imaging x-ray receptor to thereby cause the receptor to form a composite x-ray image in which both markers of the first pattern of markers and the object are imaged, wherein at least a portion of the imaged markers is superimposed on an image of the object in said composite x-ray image and some of the imaged markers are above a noise level of their spatial environment; computer-processing the x-ray image to derive geometric information regarding markers of the first pattern of markers imaged in said x-ray image, said processing comprising finding locations of imaged markers superimposed on the imaged breast in said composite image by searching for image signals that are below a noise level in their spatial environment, and removing marker contributions from such found locations but leaving at said location previously present contributions of the breast; and using the geometric information to improve at least one of (a) further imaging of the object and (b) assessment of an image of the object. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47)
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48. An x-ray apparatus comprising:
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an x-ray source, an x-ray receptor, and an object support between the source and the receptor; a control selectively energizing the source to emit an x-ray beam that passes through an object on said support and causes the receptor to provide an x-ray image of the object; a first pattern of markers situated at a selected location in the path of said beam thereby causing said image to contain contributions of said markers, wherein at least at least a portion of the markers is imaged with said beam in superposition on the object in said x-ray image and some of the imaged markers are above a noise level of their spatial environment; a processor configured to process the x-ray image to derive geometric information regarding said contributions of said markers, said processor further being configured to use the geometric information to improve at least one of (a) further imaging of the object and (b) assessment of an image of the object; wherein said processing comprises finding locations of markers in said image through searching for image signals below noise levels in their environment and removing markers contributions from found locations but leaving at said locations pre-existing contributions of the object. - View Dependent Claims (49, 50)
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51. A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with a computer program, which program when implemented on a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of:
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causing an x-ray imaging system to image a first pattern of markers situated at a selected location relative to an object that is between an x-ray source and an imaging plane of an imaging x-ray receptor to thereby cause the receptor to form a composite x-ray image in which both markers of the first pattern of markers and the object are imaged, wherein at least a portion of the imaged markers is superimposed on the image of the object in said composite image and some of the imaged markers are above a noise level of their spatial environment; causing computer-processing of the x-ray image to derive geometric information regarding markers of the first pattern of markers imaged in said composite x-ray image, said processing comprising finding marker locations in said composite image through searching for image signals that are below noise levels in their environment and then removing marker contributions from such locations but leaving therein pre-existing contributions of the object; and causing utilization of said geometric information. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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Specification