Breast Imaging Apparatus for Overlap-Free Mammography
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mammographic imaging techniques struggle to provide detailed evaluations of breast structures due to overlapping mammary glands, making it difficult to diagnose tumors effectively.
Innovation Solution
An image displaying apparatus and method that divides the imaging area into partial areas based on positional information from pressure plates, generating and displaying images to eliminate overlaps and improve comprehension of mammary gland structures, including calculating area dividing positions and extracting schematic internal structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mammary glands are imaged as they are in three-dimensional structure, then the natural breast structure is preserved, but mammary glands overlap each other making detailed evaluation impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the breast imaging area into multiple partial areas based on pressure plate positions. The image generation unit creates separate images for each partial area, preventing overlap of mammary glands from different regions. This allows detailed evaluation of each segment while maintaining the overall breast structure context.
2Loss of information
If the breasts are elongated by being clamped to reduce overlaps, then the overlaps of mammary glands are reduced, but mammary glands on the front side overlap those on the detector side making tumor discrimination difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension for image organization by displaying multiple partial area images in different spatial locations on the display unit. Instead of compressing the breast in one dimension, it distributes images across a two-dimensional display space, allowing observers to distinguish between front-side and detector-side mammary glands without overlap.
3Device complexity
If conventional mammographic radiography is used to acquire two-dimensional images, then the imaging process is simple, but detailed evaluation of breast structures is impossible due to overlapping glands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the breast imaging area into multiple partial areas based on pressure plate positions, generating separate images for each segment. This segmentation approach maintains relative simplicity while enabling detailed evaluation of breast structures by eliminating overlaps that prevent such evaluation in conventional two-dimensional imaging.
Data Source
AI summary
Three-dimensional data is associated with a first imaging area including a left breast of a subject to be examined and a second imaging area including a right breast of the subject. An image displaying apparatus includes a specifying unit that specifies a nipple position of the left breast on the basis of positional information of pressure plates from the three-dimensional data. The image displaying apparatus also includes a generating unit that generates, by a maximum intensity projection, four projection images from the three-dimensional data. Two of the projection images respectively correspond to a plurality of divided areas of the left breast in the first imaging area divided on the basis of the specified nipple position. Two of the projection images respectively correspond to a plurality of divided areas of the right breast in the second imaging area. The four projection images are simultaneously displayed.