University of Rochester

Koning Corporation

Ruola Ning

Shaohua Liu

David L Conover

Weixing Cai

Yan Zhang

Dong Yang

Xiaohua Zhang

Yong Yu

Xiaohui Wang

A cone beam breast computed tomography system includes a breast stabilization unit with an internal surface region including a breast contact portion, where the breast contact portion serves to support a patient breast and maintain the position and stability of the breast during tomographic imaging. Certain removable breast stabilization units are received within a receiver of a patient interface panel of the cone beam breast computed tomography system, allowing selection and application of a breast stabilization unit compatible with the characteristics of a particular patient.

Fixturing and support for medical imaging

A cone beam breast computed tomography system includes a pivotable patient interface panel such that a patient can be introduced to the panel in an upright position and the panel can then be pivoted to dispose the patient in a generally prone orientation for imaging.

Ergonomic improvements in cone beam breast computed tomography

A cone beam breast computer tomographic imaging system includes a subsystem for stationary scanning such that the same system can produce a cone beam breast computer tomographic image and a 2D stationary scan image.

Stationary detail imaging in cone beam breast computed tomography

A cone beam breast computed tomography scanning system includes a vertical plane gantry subsystem pivotally connected to a foundation element for ergonomic patient positioning.

Cone beam breast computed tomography with pivotal gantry subsystem

A method of imaging a breast microcalcification feature by acquiring a tomographic imaging data set and a stationary imaging data set and combining the tomographic imaging data set with the stationary imaging data set to improve resolution and reduce blur in the resulting combined image. The resulting improve resolution image data set is evaluated for identification of breast calcifications for purposes of breast cancer screening, diagnosis and/or treatment.

Calcification detection systems, methods and apparatus in cone beam breast computed tomography

A cone beam breast computer tomographic scanning system includes a vertical plane gantry and a patient support subsystem, where the patient support subsystem has a patient support saddle for patient positioning during imaging.

Cone beam breast computed tomography with patient support subsystem

Disclosed are embodiments of methods of and systems for detecting and biopsying lesions with a cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) system. The system comprises, in some embodiments, a CBCT device configured to output a cone beam CT image of at least a portion of a patient's breast and a multi-axis transport module, having at least three degrees of freedom and configured to position a biopsy needle within a 3D frame of reference based on inputs received from the cone beam CT device. The transport module can be configured to place the biopsy needle adjacent to, or within, a target of interest within the breast. Also disclosed are embodiments of methods of and systems for testing CBCT systems with phantoms.

Cone beam CT imaging and image-guided procedures

DPC (differential phase contrast) images are acquired for each photon energy channel, which are called spectral DPC images. The final DPC image can be computed by summing up these spectral DPC images or just computed using certain 'color' representation algorithms to enhance desired features. In addition, with quasi-monochromatic x-ray source, the required radiation dose is substantially reduced, while the image quality of DPC images remains acceptable.

Method and apparatus of spectral differential phase-contrast cone-beam CT and hybrid cone-beam CT

Cone Beam Breast CT, (CBBCT) is a three-dimensional breast imaging modality with high soft tissue contrast, high spatial resolution and no tissue overlap. CBBCT-based computer aided diagnosis (CBBCT-CAD) technology is a clinically useful tool for breast cancer detection and diagnosis that will help radiologists to make more efficient and accurate decisions. The CBBCT-CAD is able to: 1) use 3D algorithms for image artifact correction, mass and calcification detection and characterization, duct imaging and segmentation, vessel imaging and segmentation, and breast density measurement, 2) present composite information of the breast including mass and calcifications, duct structure, vascular structure and breast density to the radiologists to aid them in determining the probability of malignancy of a breast lesion.

Method and apparatus for cone beam breast CT image-based computer-aided detection and diagnosis

A raw DPC (differential phase contrast) image of an object is acquired. The background phase distribution due to the non-uniformity of the grating system is acquired by the same process without an object in place, and the true DPC image of the object is acquired by subtracting the background phase distribution from the raw DPC image.

Methods and apparatus for differential phase-contrast cone-beam CT and hybrid cone-beam CT

Cone Beam Breast CT (CBBCT) is a three-dimensional breast imaging modality with high soft tissue contrast, high spatial resolution and no tissue overlap. CBBCT-based computer aided diagnosis (CBBCT-CAD) technology is a clinically useful tool for breast cancer detection and diagnosis that will help radiologists to make more efficient and accurate decisions. The CBBCT-CAD is able to: 1) use 3D algorithms for image artifact correction, mass and calcification detection and characterization, duct imaging and segmentation, vessel imaging and segmentation, and breast density measurement, 2) present composite information of the breast including mass and calcifications, duct structure, vascular structure and breast density to the radiologists to aid them in determining the probability of malignancy of a breast lesion.

A cone-beam scanning system scans along a half circle. The reconstruction uses a weighting function which decreases for rows farther from the scan plane to take the redundancy of the projection data into account. Another embodiment uses a circle plus sparse helical scan geometry. Image data can be taken in real time.

Method and apparatus of cone beam CT dynamic imaging

Methods and apparatus of cone beam CT imaging and image-guided procedures

A 3D metal artifacts correction technique corrects the streaking artifacts generated by titanium implants or other similar objects. A cone-beam computed tomography system is utilized to provide 3D images. A priori information (such as the shape information and the CT value) of high density sub-objects is acquired and used for later artifacts correction. An optimization process with iterations is applied to minimize the error and result in accurate reconstruction images of the object.

Growing community of inventors

Fairport, NY, United States of America

Ruola Ning