# US 2019/0313992 A1 · Apparatus for providing mammography quality analytics

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 2019/0313992 A1
- Document ID: US20190313992A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/468,741
- Filed: 2017-12-15
- Published: 2019-10-17
- Earliest claimed: 2016-12-16
- Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Inventors: Thomas BUELOW; Tim Philipp HARDER; Tanja NORDHOFF; Stewart YOUNG; Deborah L RICHARD-KOWALSKI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190313992A1

## CPC

- A61B 6/502: {for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography}
- A61B 6/04: Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like
- A61B 6/5294: {involving using additional data, e.g. patient information, image labeling, acquisition parameters}
- G06T 7/0002: {Inspection of images, e.g. flaw detection}
- G06T 7/68: of symmetry
- G06V 10/82: using neural networks
- G16H 30/40: for processing medical images, e.g. editing
- G16H 50/00: ICT specially adapted for medical diagnosis, medical simulation or medical data mining; ICT specially adapted for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics
- G16H 50/30: for calculating health indices; for individual health risk assessment
- G06T 2207/30068: Mammography; Breast
- G06T 2207/30168: Image quality inspection
- G06V 2201/03: Recognition of patterns in medical or anatomical images
- G16H 30/20: for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
- G16H 50/20: for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA

## Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for providing mammography quality analytics. It is described to provide (210) at least one mammogram. A plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters is provided (220), wherein at least one mammogram acquisition parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram. The at least one mammogram is analysed (230) and a plurality of breast positioning quality parameters is generated, wherein at least one breast positioning quality parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram. The plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters and the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters is analysed (240) and quality control information is generated (240).

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus for providing mammography quality analytics, comprising:
an input unit; and
a processing unit;
wherein the input unit is configured to provide the processing unit with at least one mammogram;
wherein the input unit is configured to provide the processing unit with a plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters, wherein at least one mammogram acquisition parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram;
wherein the processing unit is configured to implement a positioning assessment module to analyze the at least one mammogram and generate a plurality of breast positioning quality parameters, wherein at least one breast positioning quality parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram;
wherein the processing unit is configured to implement a quality control assessment module analyze the plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters and the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters and generate a quality control information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to implement a root cause analysis module as part of the quality control assessment module, and wherein the root cause analysis module is configured to determine at least one repetitive pattern in the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters as part of the generation of the quality control information.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to implement an action module to analyze the quality control information and generate breast positioning information.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of acquisition parameters comprises an X-ray equipment operator information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of acquisition parameters comprises at least one of: time of day, day of week, compression force on the breast, patient characteristics, and whether a mammogram relates to a right or left breast.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mammogram comprises at least one medio-lateral oblique image, and wherein the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters comprises at least one of: whether the pectoral muscle is shown to nipple level, the angle of the pectoral muscle, whether the angle of the pectoral muscle is greater than 20 degrees, whether the nipple is shown in profile, whether the infra-mammary angle is clearly demonstrated, whether all the breast tissue is clearly shown, whether the inferior pectoralis extent is greater than zero, and when the at least one mammogram comprises mammograms of the right and left breast of the same person whether the right and left mammograms are symmetric.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mammogram comprises at least one cranio-caudal image, and wherein the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters comprises at least one of: whether the nipple is shown in profile, the extent to which the lateral aspect of the breast is shown, whether the pectoral muscle shadow is shown on the posterior edge of the breast, whether the medial border of the breast is shown, and when the at least one mammogram comprises mammograms of the right and left breast of the same person whether the right and left mammograms are symmetric.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one mammogram comprises at least one medio-lateral oblique (MLO) image and at least one cranio-caudal (CC) image of the same breast, and wherein the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters comprises a difference in a distance from the nipple to the posterior edge in a CC image to a distance from the nipple to the pectoral muscle in the MLO image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters comprises whether the difference in distance is less than approximately 10 mm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

A system for providing mammography quality analytics, comprising:
at least one information providing unit;
an apparatus for providing mammography quality analytics according to claim 1; and
an output unit;
wherein the at least one mammogram is provided from the at least one information providing unit to the input unit;
wherein the plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters is provided from the at least one information providing unit to the input unit;
wherein the output unit is configured to output the quality control information.

### Claim 11

A method for providing mammography quality analytics, comprising:
providing at least one mammogram;
providing a plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters, wherein at least one mammogram acquisition parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram;
analyzing the at least one mammogram and generating a plurality of breast positioning quality parameters, wherein at least one breast positioning quality parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram; and
analyzing the plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters and the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters and generating quality control information.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining at least one repetitive pattern in the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters as part of generating the quality control information.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, further comprising analyzing the quality control information and generating breast positioning information.

### Claim 14

(canceled)

### Claim 15

(canceled)

### Claim 16

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having one or more executable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing mammography quality analytics, the method comprising:
providing at least one mammogram;
providing a plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters, wherein at least one mammogram acquisition parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram;
analyzing the at least one mammogram and generating a plurality of breast positioning quality parameters, wherein at least one breast positioning quality parameter is associated with a corresponding mammogram; and
analyzing the plurality of mammogram acquisition parameters and the plurality of breast positioning quality parameters and generating quality control information.