Hemispheric Breast Imaging System for Dense Tissue Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current imaging techniques for breast cancer detection, such as x-ray mammography and ultrasound, face limitations including low resolution, poor contrast, and operator dependency, which hinder accurate detection and diagnosis, especially in dense breast tissue.
Innovation Solution
A hemispheric breast imaging system (HABIS) utilizing a hemispheric array of ultrasound transducers and a high-performance computer network for parallel processing, which generates and receives ultrasound signals to reconstruct high-resolution, speckle-free volumetric images of the breast, overcoming limitations by providing isotropic point resolution comparable to x-ray mammography.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional x-ray mammography is used for breast cancer detection, then cost-effectiveness is improved, but specificity and positive predictive value deteriorate due to overlap of benign and malignant lesions and poor contrast in dense breast tissue
Solution Approach 1:
The breast volume is segmented into multiple planar slices through tomographic reconstruction, allowing individual analysis of each slice to eliminate overlap of structures from different depths. This segmentation approach enables precise localization of lesions within specific slices, improving specificity and positive predictive value while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from two-dimensional projection imaging to three-dimensional volumetric imaging by acquiring data from multiple angles and reconstructing tomographic slices. This dimensional enhancement provides depth information that separates overlapping lesions, significantly improving measurement precision and diagnostic accuracy in dense breast tissue.
2Ease of operation
If conventional ultrasound is used for breast imaging, then operator dependency increases, but resolution deteriorates particularly in the direction orthogonal to the imaging plane
Solution Approach 1:
The ultrasound data is segmented into multiple planar slices through tomographic reconstruction, with each slice providing high-resolution imaging in its specific plane. This segmentation allows comprehensive coverage of the breast volume with consistent resolution in all directions, eliminating the resolution limitation orthogonal to the imaging plane while reducing operator dependency through automated reconstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from single-plane two-dimensional ultrasound imaging to three-dimensional volumetric imaging by acquiring and reconstructing data from multiple angular positions. This dimensional enhancement provides isotropic resolution in all spatial directions, fundamentally improving measurement precision while the automated reconstruction process reduces operator dependency.
3Productivity
If current imaging methods are used, then imaging speed is maintained, but reconstruction time deteriorates due to inability to provide high-resolution volumetric images rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary data acquisition from multiple angular positions in a single scanning operation, collecting all necessary raw data for volumetric reconstruction simultaneously. This preliminary action enables subsequent rapid reconstruction of high-resolution images in minutes, rather than requiring sequential scanning, thus maintaining imaging speed while reducing overall reconstruction time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates multiple copies of the breast volume at different angular positions through rapid sequential scanning, then reconstructs these copies into a single integrated three-dimensional image. This copying approach allows parallel processing of multiple data sets, enabling high-resolution volumetric imaging to be completed rapidly without sacrificing detail.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
HABIS achieves rapid reconstruction of breast volumes with high-resolution images in minutes, improving detection and diagnosis of breast cancer, particularly in dense tissue, and monitoring treatment response, outperforming existing systems by offering isotropic point resolution and reduced reconstruction time.
Implementation Method 1
each triangular transducers includes 256 piezoelectric elements
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for capturing ultrasound signals from a hemispheric imaging region (e.g., by a stationary array of transducer elements arranged in the shape of a faceted hemisphere) and estimating scattering measurements that would be made by a virtual array in the opposite hemisphere (e.g., by a network of processors that receive and process the transmitted ultrasound signals in parallel) by forming an initial estimate of a medium variation for each of a plurality of subvolumes in the scattering object to form an estimated object, calculating residual scattering by using a difference between a scattering response calculated for the estimated object and measured ultrasound signals received from the scattering object, forming an initial three-dimensional image of the scattering object, and extrapolating a difference between the scattering response calculated for the estimated object and the measured ultrasound signals received from the scattering object.