Image handling and display in X-ray mammography and tomosynthesis

• US 9,460,508 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Hologic Incorporated
• Inventors: Gkanatsios, Nikolaos A., Niklason, Loren, Shaw, Ian, Ruth, Christopher, Smith, Andrew P., Stein, Jay A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayat, Ali
• Application Number:
  US14/742,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0048 Detecting, measuring or recording by applying mechanical forces or stimuli A61B5/021, A61B5/4884 and A61B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/025 Tomosynthesis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/464 involving a plurality of displays
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. graphical user interface, icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/466 adapted to display 3D data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/502 for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/5235 combining images from the same or different ionising radiation imaging techniques, e.g. PET and CT
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 6/563 involving image data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/003 Reconstruction from projections, e.g. tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/006 Inverse problem, transformation from projection-space into object-space, e.g. transform methods, back-projection, algebraic methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10112 Digital tomosynthesis [DTS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10116 X-ray image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20104 Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20108 Interactive selection of 2D slice in a 3D data set
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20212 Image combination
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30068 Mammography; Breast
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/0012 : Biomedical image inspection

Abstract

A method and system for acquiring, processing, storing, and displaying x-ray mammograms Mp tomosynthesis images Tr representative of breast slices, and x-ray tomosynthesis projection images Tp taken at different angles to a breast, where the Tr images are reconstructed from Tp images.

Claims

1. An image display system comprising:

a display for displaying;

at least one image of a plurality of tomosynthesis images of a compressed breast; and

a slider bar for identifying information regarding a location within the compressed breast corresponding to the displayed image, wherein the slider bar comprises a slice bar configured to be moved along the slider bar and wherein

when the slice bar is positioned in a first position along the slider bar, the display displays a first image of the plurality of tomosynthesis images, wherein the first image has a first height within the breast; and

when the slice bar is positioned in a second position adjacent to the first position along the slider bar, the display displays a second image of the plurality of tomosynthesis images, wherein the second image has a second height adjacent to the first height within the breast.

2. The image display system of claim 1, wherein the slider bar comprises a plurality of non-numeric indicators.

3. The image display system of claim 2, wherein the slider bar comprises a plurality of numeric indicators.

4. The image display system of claim 2, wherein the slice bar comprises a thickness that spans the plurality of non-numeric indicators, and wherein a plurality of tomosynthesis images are displayed.

5. The image display system of claim 1, wherein a position of the slice bar on the slider bar corresponds to the height within the breast of the displayed image of the plurality of tomosynthesis images.

6. The image display system of claim 1, wherein the tomosynthesis images comprise reconstructed images.

7. A method of displaying tomosynthesis images, the method comprising:

displaying a first image of a plurality of tomosynthesis images on a display;

displaying an information bar on the display;

displaying a slice bar on the information bar, wherein a position of the slice bar on the information bar corresponds to a first location within the compressed breast of the first image;

receiving an input to display a second image of the plurality of tomosynthesis images;

displaying the second image; and

displaying the slice bar on the information bar in a second position corresponding to a second location within the compressed breast of the second image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the input comprises a selection of a button located on the display.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the input comprises a signal sent from an input device.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the input comprises a selection of a position on the information bar.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of tomosynthesis images, wherein the slice bar comprises a thickness, wherein the thickness corresponds to a number of the displayed plurality of tomosynthesis images.

12. An image display system comprising:

a display for displaying;

a tomosynthesis image of a compressed breast, wherein the displayed tomosynthesis image comprises a plurality of adjacent tomosynthesis images; and

a graphic representing information regarding a location of the tomosynthesis image within the compressed breast, wherein the graphic comprises a slice bar having an adjustable width, wherein the adjustable width corresponds to a number of the plurality of the adjacent tomosynthesis images.

13. The image display system of claim 12, wherein the location corresponds to a plane within the compressed breast.

14. The image display system of claim 13, wherein the plane is defined by a height and thickness within the compressed breast.

15. The image display system of claim 13, wherein the information comprises a slice bar disposed on the scale.

16. The image display system of claim 12, wherein the graphic comprises a scale comprising at least one of non-numeric and numeric indicia.

17. The image display system of claim 12, wherein the tomosynthesis image comprises reconstructed images.