Claims
- 1. An apparatus for screening or diagnosing cancer or other pathological disorder, such as in a breast of a patient, comprising:
a table having a horizontal upper surface upon which the patient may lie; a support system to support the patient comfortably and to support the patient's breast in a fixed position while the patient lies on the table; a microwave assembly including a microwave antenna for directing microwave energy to the breast and receiving reflected microwave energy from the breast under examination and a microwave source and a receiver coupled to the antenna; and an orientation system for orienting a surface of the breast in known positions with respect to the anatomy of the patient and locations of the antenna; and a processor connected to said receiver for processing the reflected microwave energy.
- 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the support system includes a microwave-transparent scan plate carried by the table located at the upper surface so that a portion of the breast may be pressed against the scan plate.
- 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the scan plate is optically transparent and the orientation system further comprising:
a light source oriented to transmit light through the scan plate in order to optically illuminate the breast; a camera for capturing a visual image of the breast and transmitting said image to the processor; and means coupled to the processor for displaying an image including the visual image.
- 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the orientation system further includes a scan data system for providing a scan image from the reflected microwave energy, the scan data system connected to the processor and a display for displaying the scan image of the reflected microwave energy.
- 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the orientation system further includes means for displaying an overlay of the visual image and the scan image of the reflected microwave signal.
- 6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the orientation system further includes a scan data system for providing a scan image of the reflected microwave energy, the scan data system connected to the processor and a display for displaying the scan image of the reflected microwave energy.
- 7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the scan plate has a dielectric constant in the range of from about 1.7 to about 9.
- 8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the overlay image is a composite 3-D image.
- 9. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the position of the breast with respect to known antenna position on the scan plate that is stable within approximately ¼th of a wavelength of the highest frequency.
- 10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein an air gap of less than approximately 3 mm is provided between the microwave antenna and the scan plate.
- 11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
an enclosure that is formed as part of the table and that encompasses the microwave assembly.
- 12. The apparatus of claim 1 including means for suppressing microwave resonance within the enclosure.
- 13. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a microwave-absorbent resilient member located adjacent the scan plate and interposed between the scan plate and the surface of the table.
- 14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the microwave-absorbent resilient member is a bag-like pillow.
- 15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the microwave-absorbent resilient member is a collar.
- 16. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the microwave-absorbent resilient member forms a padding layer on the upper surface of the table.
- 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the processor is provided by a personal computer connected to the table.
- 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the personal computer provides a display.
- 19. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the processor is incorporated with the table.
- 20. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the orientation system includes a means for viewing the breast when in the fixed position.
- 21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the viewing means is a digital camera.
- 22. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a motorized system for moving the antenna along coordinates.
- 23. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the table includes an adjustable upper surface section to aid the patient to sit upright.
- 24. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the table includes a removable pad.
- 25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the removable pad covers the support member.
- 26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the removable pad includes a taper in order to appropriately elevate the patient's torso in order to comfortably locate the breasts on the support member.
- 27. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the removable pad is provided in an adjustable upper surface section of the table.
- 28. A method for imaging or detecting breast lesions comprising the steps of:
having a patient lie prone on a table having a microwave and optically transparent scan plate; pressing a patient's breast against the scan plate; illuminating the patient's breast through the scan plate; receiving a visual image of the breast by a digital camera; scanning the breast with microwave energy to produce scanning data; processing the scanning data; and forming a displayed image including the visual image and the scanning data.
- 29. The method of claim 28 wherein a pair of breasts are imaged.
- 30. The method of claim 28 wherein the patient is oriented in order to provide a frontal imprint of the breast.
- 31. The method of claim 28 wherein the patient is oriented in order to provide a side imprint of the breast near the patient's armpit.
- 32. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of archiving the displayed image.
- 33. The method of claim 32 wherein the archiving includes a patient record, scan study data and scan series data.
- 34. The method of claim 33 wherein the scan series data includes a digital breast contact image, antenna scan data, region of interest data, 3D processed volumetric data, and scan parameters or image display parameters.
- 35. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of analyzing the displayed image and reorienting the patient in order to provide the breasts in appropriate orientation.
- 36. The method of claim 35 wherein the analyzing is performed by a human viewing the displayed image.
- 37. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of identifying areas of the breast to be scanned by the antenna.
- 38. The method of claim 37 wherein the identifying step is performed by a human using a computer mouse of a computer having the displayed image.
- 39. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of orienting a microwave-absorbent resilient member adjacent the patient in order to cover a gap formed on the scan plate that are adjacent the breast.
- 40. The method of claim 39 wherein the microwave absorbent resilient member is a bag-like pillow.
- 41. A method for imaging a lesion comprising the steps of:
orienting a patients organ on a scan plate to provide an imprint; focusing a digital camera on the imprint, the digital camera having a field of view; generating a 3D generated scan image of the organ, the scan image having a top planar envelope; sizing the field of view to match the size of the top planar envelope; generating a photo image of the imprint having the sized field of view; aligning the sized field of view with the top planar envelope; and overlaying the photo image on the top planar envelope.
- 42. The method of claim 41 wherein the 3D generated scan image includes a graphical image of a lesion that is visually oriented to the imprint envelope of the patient's organ.
- 43. The method of claim 41 wherein the overlay is aligned to an origin point (0,0,0) on the top planar envelope.
- 44. The method of claim 41 wherein the 3D generated scan image includes Cartesian coordinates in the X, Y and Z planes.
- 45. The method of claim 41 wherein the organ is a breast and the imprint is provided on the scan plate mounted in an upper surface of an examination table.
- 46. An examination table comprising:
a table having a horizontal upper surface upon which the patient may lie; a support system to support the patient comfortably in a fixed position; and an orientation system for orienting a patient's torso in known positions with respect to the anatomy of the patient.
- 47. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the support system includes an optically transparent scan plate and further comprising:
a light source oriented to transmit light through the scan plate in order to optically illuminate the torso; a camera for capturing a visual image of the torso and transmitting said image to a processor; and means coupled to the processor for displaying an image including the visual image of the torso's imprint.
- 48. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the support system includes an adjustable upper surface section to aid the patient to sit upright.
- 49. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the support system includes a removable pad.
- 50. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the removable pad covers a scan plate carried by the table.
- 51. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the removable pad includes a taper in order to appropriately elevate the patient's torso in order to comfortably locate the torso on the scan plate.
- 52. The apparatus of claim 49 wherein the removable pad is provided in an adjustable upper surface section of the table.
- 53. The apparatus of claim 46 wherein the orientation system includes a scan system for providing scan data regarding the patient's breast with respect to at least breast tissue, a nipple, a sternum, an armpit or a lesion.
Parent Case Info
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of co-pending provisional application Serial No. 60/402,511, filed Aug. 9, 2002.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60402511 |
Aug 2002 |
US |