Breast ultrasound scanning device

Abstract

Apparatus and related methods for facilitating volumetric ultrasonic scanning of a breast are described. In one preferred embodiment, a generally cone-shaped radial scanning template having a vertex and a wide opening angle is provided, the radial scanning template having a slot-like opening extending outward from the vertex through which an ultrasound transducer scans the breast as the radial scanning template is rotated. In another preferred embodiment, a flexible membrane for compressing a skin surface of the breast is provided, the flexible membrane being mounted on a mechanical assembly such as a roller assembly to form a slot-like opening through which an ultrasound transducer directly contacts the skin surface, the flexible membrane rising and falling relative to the skin surface but not moving laterally as the slot-like opening and ultrasound transducer move laterally across the compressed breast, whereby stabilization of the breast and direct transducer-skin contact are concurrently achieved.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . A full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus comprising:
 a support arm;   a breast template having (i) an inside wall surface that surrounds an axis and gradually reduces in cross-sectional area from an open bottom to an open vertex, said template being configured to press a patient's breast chestwardly and said open vertex being sized and configured for a patient's breast nipple to protrude through the top opening when the breast is compressed chestwardly with said template;   said inside wall surface converging toward the top opening at a convergence angle exceeding 135° and having at least one slot in the side wall extending outwardly from the vertex;   at least one elongated ultrasound transducer shaped and configured to fit in a respective one of said one or more slots and make physical and acoustic contact with the breast when the breast is compressed with said template, said contact being direct or through a membrane that is permeable to ultrasound;   an actuator configured to drive the template and the transducer in a rotational motion about a central axis of the template through a selected angle plus an overlap angle that is in the range of 5° to 45°;   a connector configured to connect the template, transducer and actuator to the support arm;   said support art being configured to move the template and transducer toward a patient's chest to thereby compress a patient's breast chestwardly within the template, with the breast nipple protruding through the top opening of the template, and with the breast contacting the inside wall surface of the template;   said actuator being selectively actuated to drive the template and the transducer in said rotational motion to thereby rotate the template and the transducer relative to the breast through said selected angle plus overlap angle;   wherein the transducer presses against the breast through said membrane during said rotational motion and is configured to generate a multiplicity of sectional ultrasound views of the breast that are radially oriented relative to the breast;   wherein a scanning surface of the ultrasound transducer has a pattern of a multiplicity of transducer elements extending in a radial direction; and   wherein a multiplicity of said sectional views are for the same angular orientation of the transducer relative to the breast due to said rotational motion over the selected angle plus overlap angle;   said multiplicity of sectional views for the same angular orientations being blended to reduce discontinuity artifacts in further processing said sectional views into a three-dimensional volume representation of the breast.   
     
     
         23 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22 , further including a beam steering facility configured to cause at least one of said one or more transducers to carry out beam-steering for facilitating sub-areola imaging of the breast. 
     
     
         24 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  including a membrane that comprises a taut fabric and is interposed between at least between one of the one or more transducers and the breast when the template is compressing the breast. 
     
     
         25 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  in which said membrane comprises a taut polyester chiffon fabric. 
     
     
         26 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  in which said convergence angle is more than 160°. 
     
     
         27 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  in which said convergence angle is more than 170°. 
     
     
         28 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  in which said one or more transducers comprise two of more transducers that are circumferentially spaced from each other. 
     
     
         29 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  in which at least one of said one or more transducers comprise rows of transducer elements that are circumferentially spaced from each other and differ in radial length from each other. 
     
     
         30 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 29  in which at least one of said one or more transducers has more rows of transducer elements toward a periphery of the template than toward the vertex. 
     
     
         31 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  including a membrane that spans each of the one of more slots and through which the respective one or more transducers contact the breast and exchange ultrasound energy with the breast. 
     
     
         32 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  in which the template has a non-circular outline and comprises multiple slots for respective transducers, and wherein a portion of the template that extends further from the nipple hole than other portion is configured to align with the patient's axilla. 
     
     
         33 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 22  including plural transducers at least two of which differ from each other. 
     
     
         34 . The full-field breast ultrasound scanning apparatus of  claim 33  in which at least two of the transducers differ from each other in radial length. 
     
     
         35 . A method of ultrasonically scanning a patient's breast comprising:
 chestwardly compressing the breast with a scanning template that has an open bottom and an inner surface that converges toward a vertex at a convergence angle greater than 135°;   ultrasonically scanning the chestwardly compressed breast with one or more elongated ultrasound transducers each aligned with a respective one of one or more radially extending slots while the template and the one or more transducers rotate over the breast;   said scanning comprising mechanically rotating the template and the one or more transducers over the chestwardly compressed breast and scanning a portion of the breast twice with the same transducer over a selected overscan angle;   generating 2D ultrasound measurements of the breast from signals provided by the scanning one of more transducers;   computer-processing the ultrasound measurements into selected breast images; and   displaying under operator control at least one or more of the images.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  including interposing a membrane that is permeable to an acoustic couplant between the breast and the one of more transducers during said scanning of the breast. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35  including interposing a fabric that is permeable to an acoustic couplant between the breast and the one of more transducers during said scanning of the breast.