System and Method for Multimodality Breast Imaging
OwnerCameron Piron, Christopher Luginbuhl +1inventors
InventorsCameron Piron, Christopher Luginbuhl, Jae Kim
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Abstract
An imaging acquisition assembly for acquiring images using electromagnetic radiation and an imaging station are provided for use in imaging a breast using both magnetic resonance imaging techniques and electromagnetic radiation techniques. The acquisition assembly includes an elevating platform to which an electromagnetic source and detector are mounted, rendering the source and detector selectively positionable around a breast for electromagnetic imaging such as XRM or PET. The source and detector can be mounted to a rotatable disk to allow for imaging the breast from various angles, and can also be offset from vertical to allow other imaging configurations.
Claims11
A method for acquiring breast images using magnetic resonance imaging and an ancillary imaging method based on detecting electromagnetic radiation, comprising the steps of:
- positioning a patient in a prone position on a patient support structure;
- immobilizing the patient's breast using an immobilization frame;
- moving the patient and the patient support structure into a magnetic resonance imaging system;
- acquiring a magnetic resonance image of the patient's breast;
- removing the patient and the patient support structure from the magnetic resonance imaging system;
- coupling a detector element for electromagnetic radiation to the patient support structure and adjacent the patient's breast;
- acquiring an electromagnetic radiation image of the breast;
- and
- co-registering the magnetic resonance image and the electromagnetic radiation image.
An imaging station comprising:
- a patient bed including a patient support structure having an opening positioned to allow a breast of the patient to hang pendant through the opening;
- an immobilization frame coupled to the patient support for immobilizing and compressing the breast of the patient;
- a support component sized and dimensioned to receive the patient bed and including an upper surface for supporting the patient bed, and an opening provided in the support component defining an interventional volume for providing access to the breast of the patient in the immobilization frames from a plurality of angles;
- an elevatable platform provided in the interventional volume;
- and
- an imaging source and a detector component adapted to acquire electromagnetic images of the breast coupled to the elevatable platform, wherein when the patient bed is positioned on the upper surface of the support component with the patient support structure aligned over the interventional volume, the elevatable platform is selectively raised to position the imaging source and detector components on opposing sides of the breast in the immobilization frame, enabling acquisition of an electromagnetic image of the breast.
An image acquisition assembly for acquiring images using electromagnetic radiation, the image acquisition assembly comprising:
- an elevatable platform;
- an electromagnetic source coupled to a first side of the platform and extending above the platform;
- and
- an electromagnetic detection device coupled to the opposing side of the platform and extending above the platform in opposition to the electromagnetic source and spaced a distance from the source selected to allow a breast of a patient to be selectively positioned between the electromagnetic source and the electromagnetic detection device;
- wherein the elevatable platform can be selectively raised to position the source and detector on opposing sides of the breast for the acquisition of electromagnetic images.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.