Motorized mammographic biopsy apparatus

An apparatus for performing medical procedures on a pendulant breast of a patient in a prone position, comprising:

• (a) table means for supporting a 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 within a predetermined frame of reference;
• (b) compressing means, disposed beneath said table means, for compressing the pendulant breast of the prone patient into a mammographic position relative to said predetermined frame of reference;
• (c) transmitting means, positionable relative to said predetermined frame of reference, disposed beneath said table means, for transmitting an imaging signal through the pendulant breast;
• (d) receiving means, positionable relative to said predetermined frame of reference, disposed beneath said table means, in opposing relation to said transmitting means with the pendulant breast positioned therebetween, for receiving at least a portion of said transmitted imaging beam passing through the pendulant breast of the prone patient and for providing information regarding said received signal portion;
• (e) identifying means, employing said information, for identifying locations of interest within the pendulant breast so as to permit determination of three dimensional coordinates of said identified locations of interest within said predetermined frame of reference, said identifying means including display means for displaying first and second images of the pendulant breast corresponding to first and second imaging viewpoints, respectively, relative to said predetermined frame of reference, and an input means for obtaining positional information regarding said locations of interest within the pendulant breast, said input means including a visual cue which is positionable relative to said displayed images, wherein positional data relative to a position of said visual cue is obtained by activating said input means;
• wherein said identifying means is operative by a user for viewing said displayed images of the pendulant breast to identify and determine three-dimensional coordinates of a selected location of interest within the pendulant breast by positioning said visual cue relative to said selected location of interest as viewed in said first image of the pendulant breast and activating said input means to obtain first image data, positioning said visual cue relative to said selected location of interest as viewed in said second image of the pendulant breast and activating said input means to obtain second image data and employing said first image data and said second image data to determine said three-dimensional coordinates of said selected location of interest within the pendulant breast;
• and
• wherein said identifying means is further operative by a user for viewing only one of said displayed images of the pendulant breast to identify and determine three-dimensional coordinates of at least one offset location which is spatially offset relative to said selected location of interest by positioning said visual cue relative to said offset location as viewed in said only one of said displayed images of the pendulant breast and activating said input means to obtain offset data;
• and
• (f) motorized means, operatively associated with said identifying means, for positioning a medical instrument relative to said predetermined frame of reference so as to permit said medical instrument to be inserted within the pendulant breast to said selected location of interest and/or said offset location.