Device for tissue extraction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9138206-B2
Application number	US-201113187720-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2011
Priority date	Jul 21, 2010
Publication date	Sep 22, 2015
Grant date	Sep 22, 2015

Abstract

In a device for tissue extraction from a breast, a needle mount accommodating a biopsy needle can be placed by a connection element such that no regions of the breast that are to be examined by x-rays are occluded by parts of the device during an x-ray image acquisition.

First claim

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mammography apparatus comprising a radiation detector comprising a detector surface, an x-ray source that emits an x-ray beam onto said detector surface from a plurality of different directions, thereby producing a plurality of different x-ray projections, said radiation detector comprising exterior detector edges that surround a central area of said detector surface, at which said x-ray projections overlap, and a compression plate disposed above said detector surface and operable to move in a compression direction toward said detector surface in order to compress a breast between said compression plate and said detector surface, the improvement of a tissue extraction device comprising:
a biopsy needle adapted to extract tissue from said breast;
a needle mount in which said biopsy needle is received and held;
an alignment unit situated at one of said exterior edges of said radiation detector, said alignment unit comprising an arm that is moveable parallel to said compression direction to a selected height above said detector surface and beneath said compression plate; and
a connection unit including a semi-circular member attached to said arm and a second member connected to said semi-circular member and extending parallel to said compression direction, said needle mount being connected to said semi-circular member via said second member, wherein said second member and said needle mount are selectively positionable along said semi-circular connection unit at a plurality of different positions that define a plane at said selected height, with said biopsy needle held in said mount and inserted into said breast to a selected depth in said plane in said breast, wherein said needle mount is moveable parallel to said compression direction along said second member, and
wherein said semi-circular member includes a radius that maintains said semi-circular member, said second member, and said needle mount outside of said central area in which said x-ray projections overlap.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said connection unit is configured to align said plane parallel to said detector surface of said radiation detector.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said alignment unit is mounted so as to vertically displace said connection unit.

4. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said connection unit is mounted so as to be horizontally displaceable with respect to said alignment unit.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said semi-circular member and said second member are connected by an arrestable connection element.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said needle mount is rotatable around a rotation axis of said connection unit.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a support on which the subject is supported, and wherein said needle mount is alignable parallel to said support.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1 , comprising a support on which the subject is supported, and wherein said needle mount is alignable to introduce said biopsy needle at an angle into the subject with respect to said support.

Assignees

• Fischer Daniel
• Siemens Ag

Inventors

• Fischer Daniel

Classifications

• A61B17/3403

  Needle locating or guiding means · CPC title

• A61B10/0233 Primary

  Pointed or sharp biopsy instruments · CPC title

• A61B2019/205

  Human Necessities · mapped topic

• A61B90/17

  for soft tissue, e.g. breast-holding devices · CPC title