Stereotactic mammography imaging system with prone position examination table and CCD camera

An X-ray table assembly for supporting a female patient in a prone position for mammography procedures, comprising:

• a base having a front portion and a rear portion,
• a rear pedestal upstanding from said rear portion of the base,
• a substantially flat, horizontal, elongated patient-supporting platform which is centrally supported cantilever-fashion from a rear longitudinal edge by said rear pedestal and having a free unsupported front edge, and unsupported right and left lateral ends,
• means centrally positioned in said platform between said ends, forming an open breast-receiving aperture for pendulant presentation of the patient's breast therethrough below the level of the platform,
• a C-arm having a remote end supporting an X-ray tubehead forming an X-ray source, and a near end supporting an image receptor, pivotally mounted on the rear pedestal beneath the platform for angular movement through an angular range of more than 180.degree. about a vertical pivot axis aligned with said aperture, positioning the X-ray source in any of an infinite number of source positions ranging from the direction of one end of said platform through a lateral position remote from said rear pedestal to the direction of the other end of said platform, thereby facilitating X-ray source positioning around more than a 360.degree. range of positions, with the patient's head positioned toward either the right end or the left end of the platform,
• a fixed compression plate independent of said C-arm, positioned under said platform near said vertical pivot axis for abutting contact with the patient's presented breast,
• a movable compression paddle independent of said C-arm, positioned under said platform near said first compression plate for clamping of said presented breast between said compression plate and said paddle independent of said pivotally mounted C-arm, and
• X-ray responsive image-forming means mounted on said image receptor,
• whereby free access is provided for attending personnel to the upper, the lateral and the lower surfaces of the patient's pendulant breast over a range of more than 180.degree., unimpeded by the rear supporting pedestal.

An X-ray table assembly for supporting a female patient in a prone position for mammography procedures, comprising:

• a base,
• a pedestal upstanding from said base,
• a substantially flat and horizontal patient-supporting platform which is supported cantilever-fashion from a rear longitudinal edge by said pedestal and having a free unsupported front edge,
• means centrally positioned in said platform forming an open breast-receiving aperture for pendulant presentation of the patient's breast therethrough below the level of the platform,
• a C-arm pivotally mounted on the pedestal beneath the platform for angular movement about a vertical pivot axis aligned with said aperture and having a remote end supporting an X-ray tubehead forming an X-ray source, and a near end supporting an image receptor,
• a fixed compression plate positioned under said platform near said vertical pivot axis for abutting contact with the patient's presented breast,
• a movable compression paddle positioned under said platform near said first compression plate for clamping of said presented breast between said compression plates independent of said pivotally mounted C-arm, and
• X-ray responsive image-forming means mounted on said image receptor, including a charge coupled device (CCD) camera for converting visible light into an electronic signal, a phosphor plate producing on its proximal surface a visible light image in response to arriving X-radiation impinging thereon, light-directing means positioned to direct said phosphor plate's proximal surface visible light image toward the CCD camera, computing means connected to the CCD camera for receipt of its electronic signal and for producing an imaging signal representative of at least a portion of the received CCD camera electronic signal, and means connected to the computer imaging signal, for displaying the imaging signal,
• wherein the light-directing means is a diagonally positioned X-ray transparent pellicle mirror interposed in the path of said arriving X-radiation, with its undersurface positioned to reflect said phosphor plate's image toward the CCD camera, and wherein the phosphor plate, the pellicle mirror and the CCD camera are all enclosed in a compact light-tight optical system housing positioned closely adjacent to said clamping plates.

A compact CCD imaging assembly for converting arriving X-radiation to a digital image signal output, comprising:

• a hollow camera housing positioned in the path of the arriving X-radiation and having an X-ray transparent wall member presented to receive and transmit the arriving X-radiation to the interior of the housing,
• a phosphor plate positioned inside the housing in the path of the arriving X-radiation, producing on its proximal surface a visible light image corresponding to the intensity variations exhibited by the arriving X-radiation,
• a thin pellicle film diagonally positioned between the transparent wall member and the phosphor plate, substantially transparent to X-radiation and having its underside bearing a light reflective coating,
• and a CCD camera aligned to receive visible light produced by said phosphor plate and reflected by said reflective coating.

An X-ray table assembly for supporting a female patient in a prone position for mammography procedures, comprising:

• a base having a front portion and a rear portion,
• a rear pedestal upstanding from said rear portion of the base,
• a substantially flat, horizontal, elongated patient-supporting platform which is centrally supported cantilever-fashion from a rear longitudinal edge by said rear pedestal and having a free unsupported front edge, and unsupported right and left lateral ends,
• means centrally positioned in said platform between said ends, forming an open breast-receiving aperture for pendulant presentation of the patient's breast therethrough below the level of the platform,
• a C-arm having a remote end supporting an X-ray tubehead forming an X-ray source, and a near end supporting an image receptor, pivotally mounted on the rear pedestal beneath the platform for angular movement through an angular range of more than 180.degree. about a vertical pivot axis aligned with said aperture, positioning the X-ray source in any of an infinite number of source positions ranging from the direction of one end of said platform through a lateral position remote from said rear pedestal to the direction of the other end of said platform, thereby facilitating X-ray source positioning around more than a 360.degree. range of positions, with the patient's head positioned toward either the right end or the left end of the platform,
• a fixed compression plate independent of said C-arm, positioned under said platform near said vertical pivot axis for abutting contact with the patient's presented breast,
• a movable compression paddle independent of said C-arm, positioned under said platform near said first compression plate for clamping of said presented breast between said compression plate and said paddle independent of said pivotally mounted C-arm, and
• X-ray responsive image-forming means mounted on said image receptor,
• with the central part of the free unsupported front edge of the patient-supporting platform being formed as a detachable segment, removable from the platform to provide a cutaway bight near said aperture accommodating the patient's arm in a relaxed position, whereby the patient's presented breast is freely pendulant in an undistorted position beneath the platform,
• whereby free access is provided for attending personnel to the upper, the lateral and the lower surfaces of the patient's pendulant breast over a range of more than 180.degree., unimpeded by the rear supporting pedestal.