Mammography apparatus
A mammography apparatus has a bed unit on which, during a screening, the patient lies ventrally on a recumbent surface of the bed unit. The recumbent surface has a configuration allowing variable individual parts of the bed unit to be positioned so that the bed position of the patient is optimized and the components of the x-ray unit that are arranged below the bed unit can be positioned and aligned relative to one another such that the base of the breast to be x-rayed is also imaged.
1. A mammography apparatus comprising:
a bed unit having a bed unit surface configured to receive a ventrally positioned female patient thereon, said bed unit surface having a recess therein at a location allowing a breast of the ventrally positioned patient to proceed through said recess;
an x-ray unit comprising an x-ray source and a radiation detector, said x-ray unit being located beneath said bed unit surface of said bed unit;
said bed unit being subdivided into a plurality of bed parts, including at least a first bed part and second bed part, that are selectively moveable with respect to each other to form said bed unit into a configuration, dependent on individual anatomy and size of the female patient, that allows positioning of said x-ray source and said radiation detector beneath said bed unit surface to cause an entirety of the breast proceeding through the recess to be irradiated by x-rays from said x-ray source and imaged in an x-ray image detected by said radiation detector; and
at least one of said bed parts being moveable to produce a depression in an underside of said bed unit, opposite to said bed unit surface, configured to permit said x-ray source to be received in said depression to cause said x-ray source to irradiate a base of the breast in the recess and to permit said radiation detector to detect x-rays irradiated by the x-ray source and attenuated by the base of the breast proceeding through the recess, while said radiation detector remains stationary.
2. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein individual bed parts in said plurality of bed parts are selectively tiltable relative to one another.
3. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of said bed parts is height adjustable, said at least one of said parts that is height-adjustable being located in a head region of the ventrally positioned patient.
4. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each bed part in said plurality of bed parts is height-adjustable.
5. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said x-ray unit is mounted beneath said bed unit surface with a variable spacing between said x-ray unit and said bed unit surface.
6. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said x-ray source is displaceable within said x-ray device.
7. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said x-ray source emits said x-rays in a radiation propagation direction that is variable.
8. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said radiation detector is mounted within said x-ray device so as to track said propagation direction as said propagation direction is varied.
9. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said x-ray unit is located beneath said bed unit surface so as to be rotatable around the breast proceeding through the recess.
10. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bed unit parts are height adjustable simultaneously with rotation of said x-ray unit in a trajectory around the breast proceeding through the recess.
11. A mammography apparatus comprising:
a bed unit having a bed unit surface configured to receive a ventrally positioned female patient thereon, said bed unit surface having a recess therein at a location allowing a breast of the ventrally positioned patient to proceed through said recess;
an x-ray unit comprising an x-ray source and a radiation detector, said x-ray unit being located beneath said bed unit surface of said bed unit;
said bed unit being subdivided into a plurality of bed parts, including at least a first bed part and second bed part, that are selectively moveable with respect to each other to form said bed unit into a configuration, dependent on individual anatomy and size of the female patient, that allows positioning of said x-ray source and said radiation detector beneath said bed unit surface to cause an entirety of the breast proceeding through the recess to be irradiated by x-rays from said x-ray source and imaged in an x-ray image detected by said radiation detector; and
at least one of said bed parts being moveable to produce a depression in an underside of said bed unit, opposite to said bed unit surface, configured to permit said x-ray source to be received in said depression to cause said x-ray source to irradiate a base of the breast in the recess and to permit said radiation detector to detect x-rays irradiated by the x-ray source and attenuated by the base of the breast proceeding through the recess, while the x-ray source and the radiation detector move in a trajectory around the base of the breast proceeding through the recess.
12. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein individual bed parts in said plurality of bed parts are selectively tiltable relative to one another.
13. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein at least one of said bed parts is height adjustable, said at least one of said parts that is height-adjustable being located in a head region of the ventrally positioned patient.
14. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein each bed part in said plurality of bed parts is height-adjustable.
15. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said x-ray unit is mounted beneath said bed unit surface with a variable spacing between said x-ray unit and said bed unit surface.
16. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said x-ray source is displaceable within said x-ray device.
17. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said x-ray source emits said x-rays in a radiation propagation direction that is variable.
18. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said radiation detector is mounted within said x-ray device so as to track said propagation direction as said propagation direction is varied.
19. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said x-ray unit is located beneath said bed unit surface so as to be rotatable around the breast proceeding through the recess.
20. A mammography apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said bed unit parts are height adjustable simultaneously with rotation of said x-ray unit in a trajectory around the breast proceeding through the recess.