THICK-SLICE ULTRASOUND IMAGES DERIVED FROM ULTRASONIC SCANS OF A CHESTWARDLY-COMPRESSED BREAST OF A SUPINE PATIENT
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Abstract
Displaying breast ultrasound information on an interactive user interface is described, the user interface being useful in adjunctive ultrasound mammography environments and/or ultrasound-only mammography environments. Bilateral comparison is facilitated by a pairwise display of thick-slice images corresponding to analogous slab-like subvolumes in the left and right breasts. Coronal thick-slice imaging and convenient navigation on and among coronal thick-slice images is described. In one preferred embodiment, a nipple marker is displayed the coronal thick-slice image representing a projection of a nipple location thereupon. A convenient breast icon is also displayed including a cursor position indicator variably disposed thereon in a manner that reflects a relative position between the cursor and the nipple marker. Preferably, the breast icon is configured to at least roughly resemble a clock face, the center of the clock face representing the nipple marker location. Bookmark-centric and CAD-marker-centric navigation within and among thick-slice images is also described.
103 Citations
67 Claims
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1-41. -41. (canceled)
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42. A system for breast ultrasound examination, comprising:
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a scanning apparatus configured to selectively compress a breast of a supine patient in a chestward direction and to ultrasonically scan the chestwardly compressed breast of the supine patient to acquire image data representative of a three-dimensional data volume of sonographic property values related to respective positions in the chestwardly compressed breast; a processor configured to process the image data representative of the three-dimensional data volume by combining said sonographic property values of said three-dimensional data volume through computer processing to generate therefrom two-dimensional thick-slice images representative of thick slices of the chestwardly compressed breast, wherein said respective positions in the chestwardly compressed breast are at fine spacings relative to a thickness of said thick slices such that one of said thick slices encompasses plural ones of said positions in its thickness direction; and a computerized display that displays said two-dimensional thick-slice images; wherein each of said two-dimensional thick-slice images represents said sonographic property of the chestwardly compressed breast within a slab subvolume thereof between about 2 mm-20 mm thick. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A computer-implemented method of processing and displaying breast ultrasound information, the method being implemented by a system that includes at least a computing device comprising at least one processor and memory, comprising:
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generating image data representative of a three-dimensional data volume of sonographic property values related to respective positions in a chestwardly compressed breast of a supine patient; processing the image data representative of the three-dimensional data volume by combining said sonographic property values of said three-dimensional data volume through computer processing to generate therefrom two-dimensional thick-slice images representative of thick slices of the chestwardly compressed breast, wherein said respective positions in the chestwardly compressed breast are at fine spacings relative to a thickness of said thick slices such that one of said thick slices encompasses plural ones of said positions in its thickness direction; and displaying said two-dimensional thick-slice images on a user display; wherein each of said two-dimensional thick-slice images represents said sonographic property of the chestwardly compressed breast within a slab subvolume thereof between about 2 mm-20 mm thick. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58)
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59. A computer readable medium tangibly embodying in non-transitory form one or more sequences of instructions wherein execution of the one or more sequences of instructions by one or more processors causes the one or more processors to process breast ultrasound information and cause the display of breast ultrasound information including performing the steps of:
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generating image data representative of a three-dimensional data volume of sonographic property values related to respective positions in a chestwardly compressed breast of a supine patient; processing the image data representative of the three-dimensional data volume by combining said sonographic property values of said three-dimensional data volume through computer processing to generate therefrom two-dimensional thick-slice images representative of thick slices of the chestwardly compressed breast, wherein said respective positions in the chestwardly compressed breast are at fine spacings relative to a thickness of said thick slices such that one of said thick slices encompasses plural ones of said positions in its thickness direction; and causing to be displayed on a computerized display said two-dimensional thick-slice images; wherein each of said two-dimensional thick-slice images represents said sonographic property of the chestwardly compressed breast within a slab subvolume thereof between about 2 mm-20 mm thick. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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Specification