System and method for navigating a tomosynthesis stack using synthesized image data

1. A method for processing, displaying and navigating breast tissue images, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of 2D and/or 3D images of a patient's breast, wherein respective images of the obtained plurality of images contain one or more regions defined by X,Y coordinate locations that are common for multiple images of the plurality;

generating a synthesized 2D image of the patient's breast by importing respective regions of individual images of the plurality into a merged image, wherein an image from which a respective region is imported into the merged image comprises a source image for that region, and wherein the imported regions are selected to be incorporated into the merged image at X,Y coordinate locations corresponding to X,Y coordinate locations of the respective regions in their source image based upon a comparison of one or more attributes of the respective region in each image of the plurality that contains the respective region.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displaying the synthesized 2D image.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising

receiving a user command, or otherwise detecting through a user interface, a user selection or other indication of a-region or of an object at least partially contained in said region in the displayed synthesized 2D image; and

displaying at least a portion of one or more source images of the user selected or indicated region or object.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising generating an index map comprising identifying information of user selected images of the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images that are source images of regions and/or objects displayed in the synthesized 2D image.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the user selected or indicated object or region is automatically highlighted in the displayed synthesized 2D image and/or in the displayed at least portions of the one or more corresponding source image.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the object or region is highlighted in response to a further received user command or to certain user activity detected through the user interface.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the object or region is highlighted by a contour line representing a boundary of the highlighted object or region.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the object or region is highlighted in a manner indicating that the highlighted object or region is or contains a specified type of tissue structure.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of each of said one or more common regions is imported from the plurality of images into the merged image.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images of a patient's breast comprises acquired or synthesized X,Y coordinate slices at differing z axis locations of the breast, the images having one or more corresponding X,Y coordinate locations.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more attributes is user selected.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images is selected from a group consisting of tomosynthesis projection images, tomosynthesis reconstruction slices, mammography images, contrast enhanced mammography images, synthesized 2D images, and combinations thereof.

13. A method for processing, displaying and navigating breast tissue images, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of tomosynthesis images comprising volumetric image data of a patient's breast, wherein respective tomosynthesis images of the plurality contain one or more regions defined by X,Y coordinate locations that are common for multiple tomosynthesis images of the plurality;

importing one or more objects and/or regions from the tomosynthesis images into a synthesized 2D image based upon a comparison of one or more attributes of the respective region between respective tomosynthesis images that contain the one or more objects and/or regions, wherein an image from which respective object or region is imported into the synthesized 2D image comprises a source image for that object or region;

displaying the synthesized 2D image;

receiving a user command, or otherwise detecting through a user interface, a user selection or other indication of an object or region in the synthesized 2D image; and

displaying at least a portion of one or more tomosynthesis images from the plurality, including a source image of the user selected or indicated object or region.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising generating an index map, the index map comprising identifying information of selected tomosynthesis images of the plurality that are source images or that otherwise contain a most similar representation of regions and/or objects in the synthesized 2D image.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the user selected or indicated object or region is automatically highlighted in the displayed synthesized 2D image and/or in the displayed at least portions of the one or more corresponding source image.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the object or region is highlighted in response to a further received user command or to certain user activity detected through the user interface.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the object or region is highlighted by a contour line representing a boundary of the highlighted object or region.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the object or region is highlighted in a manner indicating that the highlighted object or region is or contains a specified type of tissue structure.

19. A method for processing, displaying and navigating breast tissue images, comprising:

obtaining a plurality of 2D and/or 3D images of a patient's breast, wherein respective images of the obtained plurality of images contain one or more regions defined by X,Y coordinate locations that are common for multiple images of the plurality;

importing respective regions from the obtained plurality of images into a synthesized 2D image, wherein an image from which a respective region is imported into the synthesized 2D image comprises a source image for that region, the imported regions are incorporated into the merged image at X,Y coordinate locations corresponding to X,Y coordinate locations of the respective regions in their source image, and wherein one of each said regions is imported from the plurality of images into the synthesized 2D image based upon a comparison of one or more attributes of the respective region in each image that contains the respective region;

displaying the synthesized 2D image;

detecting through a user interface a location of a user movable input device in the displayed synthesized 2D image; and

concurrently displaying a respective source image of a tissue structure or region that corresponds to a given location of a user movable input device in the displayed synthesized 2D image.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the plurality of 2D and/or 3D images is selected from a group consisting of tomosynthesis projection images, tomosynthesis reconstruction slices, mammography images, contrast enhanced mammography images, synthesized 2D images, and combinations thereof.