X-ray mammography and/or breast tomosynthesis using a compression paddle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11259759-B2
Application number	US-201715728106-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2017
Priority date	Nov 18, 2011
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

An x-ray breast imaging system comprising a compression paddle in which the compression paddle comprises a front wall and a bottom wall. The front wall is configured to be adjacent and face a chest wall of a patient during imaging and the bottom wall configured to be adjacent a length of a top of a compressed breast. The bottom wall extends away from the patient's chest wall, wherein the bottom wall comprises a first portion and a second portion such that the second portion is between the front wall and the first portion. The first portion is generally non-coplanar to the second portion, wherein the compression paddle is movable along a craniocaudal axis. The x-ray breast imaging system also comprises a non-rigid jacket releasably secured to the compression paddle, the non-rigid jacket positioned between the compression paddle and the patient.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An x-ray breast imaging system comprising:
an x-ray source;
an x-ray detector;
a breast support platform disposed between the x-ray source and the x-ray detector; and
a compression paddle disposed between the x-ray source and the breast support platform, the compression paddle comprising:
a substantially rigid front wall configured to be adjacent and face a chest wall of a patient during imaging;
a substantially rigid bottom wall extending from the front wall and configured to extend away from the patient's chest wall and to be adjacent and in contact with a length of a top of a compressed breast, wherein the bottom wall comprises a central portion and two outer edge portions, wherein the two outer edge portions define a reference plane, wherein the central portion is disposed at an angle to the breast support platform, and wherein the compression paddle is movable; and
a first axis substantially orthogonal to the front wall, wherein the central portion of the bottom wall is pitched along the first axis from a high point proximate the front wall and raised relative to the reference plane.

2. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the central portion is disposed above the reference plane so as to define a concave surface extending from a first outer edge portion to the central portion to a second outer edge portion.

3. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the reference plane is substantially parallel to the breast support platform.

4. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the compression paddle is adapted to be disposed in:
a compressing position wherein the compressed breast is disposed between the compression paddle and the breast platform; and
a non-compressing position wherein the compressed breast is not disposed between the compression paddle and the breast platform, and wherein the bottom wall comprises a substantially similar contour in both the compressing position and the non-compressing position.

5. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 4 , wherein a distance between the central portion and the reference plane is substantially identical in both the compressing position and the non-compressing position.

6. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 1 , wherein movement of the compression paddle is selected from a group consisting of movable only along a craniocaudal axis, movable only laterally, and combinations thereof.

7. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray source is configured to selectively emit an imaging x-ray beam, and wherein the x-ray source is configured to move along an arc.

8. The x-ray breast imaging system of claim 7 , wherein the x-ray breast imaging system is a breast tomosynthesis x-ray breast imaging system.

9. A compression paddle for an x-ray breast imaging system comprising:
a substantially rigid front wall configured to be adjacent and face a chest wall of a patient during imaging;
a rear wall opposite the front wall; and
a substantially rigid bottom wall configured to be adjacent and in contact with a length of a top of a compressed breast, wherein the bottom wall extends between the front wall and the rear wall and away from the patient's chest wall, wherein the bottom wall comprises two outer edge portions and a central portion non-coplanar with the two outer edge portions and each extending between the front wall and the rear wall, and wherein the central portion is disposed at an angle to the two outer edge portions.

10. The compression paddle of claim 9 , further comprising an intermediate portion disposed between the front wall and the central portion and comprising a radius having a generally smooth curvature.

11. The compression paddle of claim 10 , wherein the bottom wall has a concave portion and a convex portion relative to the compressed breast.

12. The compression paddle of claim 11 , wherein the convex portion is where the bottom wall meets the intermediate portion.

13. The compression paddle of claim 9 , wherein the front wall is slightly off-angle from vertical.

14. The compression paddle of claim 9 , further comprising a side wall disposed proximate each of the two outer edge portions.

15. The compression paddle of claim 14 , wherein the two outer edge portions define a reference plane and wherein the side walls comprise a sidewall height above the reference plane.

16. The compression paddle of claim 15 , wherein the front wall comprises a front wall height above the reference plane, wherein the front wall height is greater than the sidewall height.

17. The compression paddle of claim 9 , further comprising a bracket for releasably securing the compression paddle to the imaging system.

18. The compression paddle of claim 15 , wherein the reference plane is substantially parallel to an axis of the compression paddle.

Assignees

• Hologic Inc

Inventors

• Stango Timothy R
• Defreitas Kenneth F
• Shaw Ian
• Stein Jay
• Jameson-Meehan Lynne
• Niklason Loren

Classifications

• A61B6/04

  Positioning of patients; Tiltable beds or the like · CPC title

• A61B6/502

  for diagnosis of breast, i.e. mammography · CPC title

• A61B6/0414 Primary

  with compression means · CPC title

• A61B6/025

  Tomosynthesis · CPC title