X-RAY MAMMOGRAPHY AND/OR BREAST TOMOSYNTHESIS USING A COMPRESSION PADDLE WITH AN INFLATABLE JACKET ENHANCING IMAGING AND IMPROVING PATIENT COMFORT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve patient comfort and imaging results.SOLUTION: Provided is an x-ray breast imaging apparatus, comprising: an expandable jacket configured to be removably secured to a compression paddle supported for movement toward a breast platform to compress a patient's breast between the compression paddle and the breast platform for x-ray imaging the breast, the compression paddle having a front wall configured to be adjacent to the patient's chest when the patient's breast is x-ray imaged, and the expandable jacket including a bottom of two-fold thickness extending along an undersurface of the compression paddle and forming at least one expandable chamber; a fluid conduit in fluid communication with the expandable chamber; and a fluid control unit coupled with the conduit and/or the chamber to selectively inflate the chamber, wherein the inflated chamber is left between the compression paddle and the patient's breast for x-ray imaging the breast.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1