US 5,219,351 AGranted

Mammograph provided with an improved needle carrier

AssigneeGeneral Electric CGR S.A.

InventorsJoachim Teubner, Jean-Yves DiBartolomeo, Didier Rouchy

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Abstract

To enable a biopsy needle to be inserted into a breast under examination on a mammograph, a crank handle-shaped structure is provided which is vertically supported by a shaft and which carries a needle carrier on its handle portion, the vertical axis of rotation passing through a tumor whose position within the breast has been calculated. It is shown that the insertion distance of the needle can be predetermined and that under these conditions a variety of ways of reaching the tumor are made available by rotating the crank-handle shape about its axis. The insertion direction can be selected as a function of criteria applicable to the subsequent surgery and not solely as a function of the structure of the mammograph itself.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A mammograph comprising:

means for holding a breast of a patient between an X-ray tube and a device for taking X-ray exposures;
means for taking stereographic exposures of the breast;
biopsy or surgical guidance means for acting on the breast at a determined location;
said biopsy or surgical guidance means including a needle carrier which is displaceable relative to the breast;
said needle carrier including a needle whose tip is displaceable along a selected length between a retracted position and an inserted position;
and
stereotaxic means associated with the above three means to calculate the position of a determined location at which action is to be taken;
wherein the mammograph includes:
pointing means for enabling the needle carrier to be pointable towards an isocenter situated at the determined location;
said pointing means including a circular arc itself carried by a rotary shaft to provide two degrees of freedom in pointing the needle wherein the circular arc has a center of curvature which lies on the axis of the shaft carrying the circular arc.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.