Radiant energy – Invisible radiant energy responsive electric signalling – With or including a luminophor
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-06
2001-01-16
Ham, Seungsook (Department: 2878)
Radiant energy
Invisible radiant energy responsive electric signalling
With or including a luminophor
C378S088000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175117
ABSTRACT:
Each of the above referenced applications is hereby incorporated by reference as if they were fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for determining the substances within a bodypart. More particularly, the present invention relates to mammography apparatus for identifying the tissues within a breast.
2. Description of Related Art
The ability to identify substances within a bodypart can be of great value in diagnosing various diseases. For instance, the ability to identify small amounts of cancerous tissues at an early stage of the cancer's development can save the lives of many patients. Identifying cancerous breast tissues at early stages of development has proven very challenging.
Mammography is the standard technique used for identifying cancerous breast tissues. A mammogram is an image of the breast formed by measuring how much each portion of a breast absorbs x-ray radiation. Portions of the breast with an increased absorption of x-rays generally show up as darker areas on the image while portions with a decreased absorption show up as lighter areas. However, different substances can have similar absorptions. Accordingly, the existence of the two substances can be overlooked and the breast misdiagnosed.
To create a mammogram, the breast is placed between two plates which compress the breast. This compression provides the breast with a reasonably uniform thickness through most of the image. The compression of the breast can be painful for the patient.
When a mammography indicates that cancerous tissues may exist a biopsy is frequently performed. The biopsy process includes inserting a needle into the breast to remove a portion of the suspicious tissue. The tissue is sent to a lab so it can be identified. The biopsy procedure can be painful. Further, obtaining the results can be time consuming since they must be sent to a lab.
For these reasons, there is a need for an apparatus which can distinguish between the different tissues within a breast and can eliminate the compression of the breast. There is also a need for an apparatus which can reduce the need for a biopsy and can reduce the time required to identify tissues which may be of interest.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a mammography apparatus for analyzing substances within a breast. The apparatus includes a breast positioning area and a beam forming apparatus having a geometry which forms breast penetrating radiation into at least one beam. A detector is configured to detect a scattering pattern of the portion of the breast which scatters radiation from the at least one beam when the breast is positioned within the breast positioning area.
The invention also relates to a mammography apparatus for analyzing substances within a breast. The apparatus includes a breast positioning area and a beam forming apparatus having a geometry which forms radiation into at least one beam of radiation. A detector is configured to detect a portion of the beam which is scattered by the breast and a portion of the beam which is transmitted through the breast without being scattered.
The invention also relates to a mammography apparatus for analyzing substances within a breast. The apparatus includes a beam forming apparatus having a geometry which forms radiation from the radiation source into at least one beam of radiation. The apparatus also includes a radiation detector and a filter configured to screen the detector from a portion of the at least one beam which is transmitted through the breast without being scattered.
The invention also relates to a mammography apparatus for analyzing substances within a breast. The apparatus includes a breast positioning area and a beam forming apparatus having a geometry which forms radiation into at least one narrow beam which has a length sufficient to be incident on an entire dimension of the breast. The apparatus also includes a detector configured to detect radiation which has passed through the breast.
The invention also relates to a mammography apparatus for analyzing substances within a breast. The apparatus includes a beam forming apparatus configured to rotate about a longitudinal axis of the beam forming apparatus and having a geometry which forms breast penetrating radiation into at least one beam and a detector configured to receive the at least one beam as the beam forming apparatus is rotated about its longitudinal axis.
The method also relates to a method of identifying the substance within a section of a bodypart. The method includes the acts of determining the scattering pattern of the section of the bodypart and comparing the scattering pattern from the determining act with the scattering patterns of known substances.
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Komardin Oleg
Lazarev Pavel
Ham Seungsook
Hanig Richard
Quanta Vision, Inc.
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
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