Tissue imaging in presence of fluid during biopsy procedure

A specimen imaging apparatus, comprising:

• a tissue holder assembly defining a tissue storage compartment for a severed tissue specimen;
• an x-ray imaging system arranged relative to the tissue storage compartment to acquire an x-ray image of the severed tissue specimen in the tissue storage compartment;
• an optical camera imaging system arranged relative to the tissue storage compartment to acquire an optical image of the severed tissue specimen in the tissue storage compartment, wherein the optical image includes an edge of the severed tissue specimen;
• an image processor in communication with the x-ray imaging system and the optical camera imaging system, the image processor being configured to receive the x-ray image and the optical image, and generate a hybrid image based at least in part upon the x-ray image and the optical image, and the edge of the severed tissue specimen depicted in the optical image, wherein the image processor being further configured to generate the hybrid image based on the x-ray image being overlaid with the optical image and determined portions of the optical image being semi-transparent so that underlying portions of the x-ray image are at least partially visible through the determined portions of the optical image, wherein a first transparency of a first portion of the optical image depicting the edge of the severed tissue specimen is greater than a second transparency of a second portion of the optical image depicting an interior or middle portion of the severed tissue specimen;
• and
• a display in communication with the image processor, the hybrid image being presented to a user of the specimen imaging apparatus through the display.

A specimen imaging apparatus, comprising:

• a tissue holder assembly defining a tissue storage compartment for a severed tissue specimen, wherein the tissue storage compartment is a first tissue storage compartment and the severed tissue specimen is a first severed tissue specimen;
• an x-ray imaging system arranged relative to the tissue storage compartment to acquire an x-ray image of the severed tissue specimen in the tissue storage compartment, the x-ray image includes the first severed tissue specimen deposited in the first tissue storage compartment;
• an optical camera imaging system arranged relative to the tissue storage compartment to acquire an optical image of the severed tissue specimen in the tissue storage compartment, wherein the optical image includes an edge of the severed tissue specimen, and the optical image includes a plurality of severed tissue specimens including the first severed tissue specimen deposited into a plurality of respective tissue storage compartments including the first tissue storge component;
• an image processor in communication with the x-ray imaging system and the optical camera imaging system, the image processor being configured to receive the x-ray image and the optical image, and generate a hybrid image based at least in part upon the x-ray image and the optical image, and the edge of the severed tissue specimen depicted in the optical image, and wherein the image processor being further configured to:
• identify a portion of the optical image that corresponds to the first severed tissue specimen deposited in the first tissue storage compartment depicted in the x-ray image;
• crop the identified portion of the optical image;
• and
• register the x-ray image and the cropped portion of the optical image with reference to a component of the tissue storage compartment, wherein the hybrid image is generated based at least in part upon the registered x-ray and the cropped portion of the optical image;
• and
• a display in communication with the image processor, the hybrid image being presented to a user of the specimen imaging apparatus through the display.