Method and apparatuses for assisting a diagnosing practitioner with describing the location of a target structure in a breast

A method for assisting a diagnosing practitioner with describing a location of at least one target structure in a tomosynthesis image data record of a compressed breast of a patient, the target structure being localized by means of a first spatial information item, which comprises the following steps of:

• ascertaining a first shape information item describing at least one first compressed breast shape in the tomosynthesis image data record;
• determining a second shape information item describing the compressed breast in a non-compressed breast shape, from the first shape information item;
• mapping a position of the at least one target structure from the compressed breast shape and to the non-compressed breast shape using at least the second shape information item for ascertaining a second spatial information item relating to the non-compressed breast shape;
• transforming the second spatial information item into a pictogram information item facilitating an abstracted pictorial representation and/or describing the abstracted pictorial representation, wherein a transformation of the second spatial information item to the pictogram information item contains the mapping of the position, described by the second spatial information item, in the non-compressed breast shape into a pictogram model describing a pictogram breast shape, wherein, for facilitating the mapping into the pictogram model, a coordinate system used to describe positions in the pictogram model is registered with the non-compressed breast shape described by the second shape information item.

An apparatus for assisting a diagnosing practitioner with describing a location of at least one target structure in a tomosynthesis image data record of a compressed breast of a patient, the target structure being localized by means of a first spatial information item, said apparatus comprising:

• a receiving interface for receiving the tomosynthesis image data record;
• a computer device, containing:
• an ascertainment unit for ascertaining a first shape information item describing at least one first compressed breast shape in the tomosynthesis image data record;
• a determination unit for determining a second shape information item describing a breast in a non-compressed breast shape from the first shape information item by virtue of, in a case of a plurality of views of the compressed breast contained in the tomosynthesis image data record, a second spatial information item being ascertained for each view, wherein the second spatial information item to be used in the following is ascertained by statistical combination of preliminary spatial information items, with the second spatial information item being ascertained by forming a mean value, weighted by a reliability value assigned to a respective preliminary spatial information item, from the preliminary spatial information items;
• a transfer unit for mapping a position of the at least one target structure from the compressed breast shape and to the non-compressed breast shape using at least the second shape information item for ascertaining the second spatial information item relating to the non-compressed breast shape;
• and
• a transformation unit for transforming the second spatial information item into a pictogram information item facilitating an abstracted pictorial representation and/or describing the abstracted pictorial representation;
• and
• an output interface for outputting the pictogram information item and/or a representation derived therefrom.

An apparatus for assisting a diagnosing practitioner with describing a location of at least one target structure in a tomosynthesis image data record of a compressed breast of a patient, the target structure being localized by means of a first spatial information item, said apparatus comprising:

• a receiving interface for receiving the tomosynthesis image data record;
• a computer device, containing:
• an ascertainment unit for ascertaining a first shape information item describing at least one first compressed breast shape in the tomosynthesis image data record;
• a determination unit for determining a second shape information item describing the compressed breast in a non-compressed breast shape from the first shape information item;
• a transfer unit for mapping a position of the at least one target structure from the compressed breast shape and to the non-compressed breast shape using at least the second shape information item for ascertaining a second spatial information item relating to the non-compressed breast shape;
• and
• a transformation unit for transforming the second spatial information item into a pictogram information item facilitating an abstracted pictorial representation and/or describing the abstracted pictorial representation, said transformation unit having a first sub-unit for mapping a position in the non-compressed breast shape, described by the second spatial information item, into a pictogram model describing a pictogram breast shape and a second sub-unit for registering a coordinate system used to describe positions in the pictogram model with the non-compressed breast shape described by the second shape information item for facilitating a mapping into the pictogram model;
• and
• an output interface for outputting the pictogram information item and/or a representation derived therefrom.