X-ray mammography and/or breast tomosynthesis using a compression paddle with an inflatable jacket enhancing imaging and improving patient comfort
AssigneeHologic, Inc.
InventorsKenneth DeFreitas, Ian Shaw, Timothy R. Stango
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method using an inflatable jacket over the compression paddle of a mammography and/or tomosynthesis system to enhance imaging and improve patient comfort in x-ray breast imaging.
Claims27
An x-ray breast imaging system comprising:
- a breast immobilizer comprising a breast platform configured to support a patient's breast for imaging and a compression paddle supported for movement toward the breast platform to compress the breast and away from the breast platform to release the breast;
- said compression paddle having a front wall configured to be adjacent the patient's chest wall when the patient's breast is supported for said imaging, side walls extending transversely to the front wall, and an underside facing the breast platform;
- a paddle jacket removably secured to the compression paddle, said jacket having a top wall extending along the underside of the paddle when secured to the paddle, and a bottom wall disposed opposite the top wall from the underside of the paddle, wherein the top wall and the bottom wall define an inflatable chamber therebetween, and a fluid conduit that is in fluid flow communication with said chamber, wherein the top wall and the bottom wall are fused to each other so as to form:
- side walls that extend along the side walls of the compression paddle, and
- a front wall that extends along the front wall of the compression paddle;
- and
- a fluid control unit releasably coupled with said conduit to selectively supply fluid to said chamber through said conduit and thereby selectively inflate the chamber.
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An inflatable compression paddle jacket configured to be releasably secured to a compression paddle configured to compresses a patient's breast for x-ray imaging, said paddle having an underside, a front wall and left and right side walls, said jacket comprising:
- a bottom comprising one or more inflatable chambers, said bottom having an upper surface configured to face the underside of said compression paddle when the jacket is secured to the paddle, wherein when the one or more chambers are inflated, the bottom comprises a first thickness;
- one or more of a front wall, a left side wall and a right side wall configured to face one or more of the respective wall of the compression paddle when the jacket is secured to the paddle, wherein each of the front wall, the left wide wall, and the right side wall comprise a second thickness less than the first thickness;
- and
- a conduit connecting an interior of the one or more of the inflatable chambers for fluid flow from an exterior thereof for selectively inflating the one or more chambers of the jacket.
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A method of imaging a breast with x-rays comprising:
- supporting the breast on a breast platform and proximate an inflatable element;
- compressing the breast with a compression paddle;
- detecting an event associated with the compression of the breast;
- based on the detection of the event, selectively adjusting a degree of inflation of the inflatable element against the breast;
- imaging the compressed breast with x-ray;
- and
- generating x-ray images of the breast.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.