Full Field Mammography With Tissue Exposure Control, Tomosynthesis, And Dynamic Field Of View Processing

A system selectively operable in each of a tomosynthesis mode and a mammography mode, comprising:

• an x-ray tube, an x-ray imaging receptor, and a breast immobilizer, wherein (i) the x-ray tube and x-ray imaging receptor are decoupled from the breast immobilizer when the system is operating in said tomosynthesis mode but (ii) the tube, receptor and immobilizer are mounted to move as a unit between different mammography imaging positions when the system is operating in said mammography mode;
• and
• an anti-scatter grid mounted between the breast immobilizer and the x-ray imaging receptor;
• said anti-scatter grid remaining between the source and the receptor to suppress x-ray scatter both when the system is operating in said mammography mode and when the system is operating in said mammography mode;
• said system being configured to operate selectively in:
• (i) said tomosynthesis mode in which the x-ray source selectively emits imaging x-rays from different tomosynthesis imaging positions that are at different angles relative to the breast immobilizer, to thereby obtain a multiplicity of projection tomosynthesis images Tp related to respective ones of said different tomosynthesis imaging positions, and
• (ii) (ii) said mammography mode in which the x-ray source emits imaging x-rays while the x-ray source, the x-ray imaging receptor and the breast immobilizer do not move with respect to each other to thereby obtain a projection mammogram Mp related to one of said mammography imaging positions.

A method of selectively operating an x-ray breast imaging system in a tomosynthesis mode comprising

• providing an x-ray tube having a focal spot, an x-ray imaging receptor, a breast immobilizer between the tube and the receptor, said breast immobilizer comprising a breast platform and a compression paddle, and an anti-scatter grid;
• immobilizing a patient's breast in said breast immobilizer between said breast platform and said paddle;
• moving the x-ray tube focal spot along a tomosynthesis trajectory relative to the breast immobilizer;
• selectively energizing the x-ray tube to emit an imaging x-ray beam from each of a multiplicity of different tomosynthesis imaging positions of said focal spot along said tomosynthesis trajectory;
• said beam passing through each of the compression paddle, the patient's breast, the breast platform and the anti-scatter grid before impinging on the imaging receptor;
• said anti-scatter grid remaining in position between said breast platform and said imaging receptor to suppress x-ray scatter for each of said multiplicity of imaging positions of the focal spot;
• and
• obtaining from said imaging receptor a multiplicity of tomosynthesis projection images Tp of the patient's breast related to said multiplicity of tomosynthesis imaging positions, each image Tp being related to a respective different angle of said imaging x-ray beam relative to the breast immobilizer.

A method comprising:

• providing a breast immobilizer, an x-ray source having a focal spot selectively moving along a tomosynthesis trajectory to traverse a multiplicity of tomosynthesis imaging positions, and an x-ray imaging receptor, said immobilizer being between the focal spot and the receptor;
• immobilizing a patient's breast in said immobilizer;
• moving the focal spot along said tomosynthesis trajectory relative to the breast immobilizer while the breast immobilizer remains stationary;
• moving the imaging receptor relative to the breast immobilizer while moving the focal spot along said tomosynthesis trajectory and while the breast immobilizer remains stationary;
• selectively energizing the x-ray source to emit an imaging beam of x-rays from said focal spot for each of said tomosynthesis imaging positions;
• obtaining discrete tomosynthesis projection x-ray images of the patient's breast from said imaging receptor for each of said tomosynthesis imaging positions of the focal spot;
• each of said tomosynthesis projection images being related to a different angle of said imaging x-ray beam relative to the breast immobilizer.