Precision mammographic needle biopsy system

A precision mammographic needle biopsy apparatus comprising:

• table means for supporting a female patient in a prone position, the table means having a breast aperture therein through which one of the patient's breasts is permitted to pendulantly protrude for examination;
• pedestal means supporting the table means, the pedestal means including motor control means for controllably raising and lowering the table means;
• a film holder arm supporting an X-ray film holder, a compression paddle for compressing the patient's pendulant breast into a mammographic position, and a puncture instrument for controllably retaining a biopsy needle;
• first tapered roller bearing means cooperatively coupling the film holder arm to the pedestal means for permitting radial motion of the film holder arm in a first horizontal plane;
• an X-ray arm supporting X-ray means for directing an X-ray beam in alignment with the patient's compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto an X-ray film retained in the X-ray film holder to thereby produce an X-ray film image of the patient's compressed pendulant breast under examination;
• and
• second tapered roller bearing means vertically aligned with the first tapered roller bearing means and cooperatively coupling the X-ray arm to the pedestal means for permitting radial motion of the X-ray arm in a second horizontal plane.

A precision mammographic needle biopsy apparatus comprising:

• table means for supporting a female patient in a prone position, the table means having a breast aperture therein through which one of the patient's breasts is permitted to pendulantly protrude for examination;
• pedestal means supporting the table means, the pedestal means including motor control means for controllably raising and lowering the table means;
• a film holder arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means for horizontal radial motion, the film holder arm supporting an X-ray film holder, a compression paddle for compressing the patient's pendulant breast into a mammographic position, and a puncture instrument for controllably retaining a biopsy needle;
• an X-ray arm pivotally mounted to the pedestal means in vertical alignment with the film holder arm, the X-ray arm adapted for horizontal radial motion and for supporting X-ray means for directing a first X-ray beam in alignment with the patient's compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto an X-ray film retained in the X-ray film holder when the X-ray arm is in a first position relative to a plane of the X-ray film and for directing a second X-ray beam in alignment with the patient's compressed pendulant breast for impingement onto the X-ray film when the X-ray arm is in a second position relative to the plane of the X-ray film to thereby produce first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images of the patient's compressed pendulant breast under examination;
• means for projecting aligned left and right reference marks onto the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images;
• and
• computer-digitizer means, including a digitizer platen/light box viewing surface and digitizer cursor means, the digitizer platen/light box viewing surface being operative for receiving the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images of the patient's compressed pendulant breast and for permitting the operator to view those first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images to identify a point of interest within the patient's compressed pendulant breast depicted in each of the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images, the computer-digitizer means being thereafter operative for digitizing, in response to actuation of the digitizer cursor means when sequentially positioned over the left and right reference marks and the identified point of interest depicted on the first and second stereoscopic X-ray film images, the identified point of interest with respect to the aligned left and right reference marks, the computer-digitzer means being further operative for automatically computing the spatial coordinates of the identified point of interest in terms of vertical angle, horizontal angle, and insertion depth parameters relative to insertion of the biopsy needle to the identified point of interest, and for visually displaying those computed spatial coordinates of the identified point of interest to the operator.