System and method for cabinet radiography incorporating ultrasound

1. A cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system for obtaining x-ray images and ultrasound images of a specimen, the system comprising:

a cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding an interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber and a sampling chamber within the interior chamber for containing the specimen;

a display;

an x-ray system including:

an x-ray source;

an x-ray detector;

a specimen platform; and

a controller configured to:

selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the x-ray detector;

control the x-ray detector to collect a projection x-ray image of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized; and

selectively display the x-ray image on the display; and

an ultrasound system including:

a probe configured to transmit an ultrasound wave and receive sonographic data in response to the transmitted ultrasound wave; and

an ultrasound base unit in communication with the probe and including a processor, the processor configured to receive the sonographic data from the probe and perform image processing functions on sonographic data to collect an ultrasound image and selectively display the ultrasound image on the display.

2. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the specimen platform is configured for excised tissue, organ or bone specimens.

3. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the specimen platform is configured for any organic or inorganic specimen that fits inside an x-ray cabinet.

4. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , further comprising:

the specimen platform having a protective cover of and in physical contact with the x-ray detector;

a motion control mechanism configured for moving the x-ray source to or along a plurality of positions within the interior chamber relative to the specimen disposed on the specimen platform; and

a controller further configured to:

selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the x-ray detector at selected positions of the x-ray source relative to the specimen such that the isocenter of the emitted x-rays at the selected positions is located at a surface of the x-ray detector;

control the x-ray detector to collect projection x-ray images of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized at the selected positions, wherein one of the projection x-ray images is a two-dimensional x-ray image taken at standard imaging angle of approximately 0°;

create a tomosynthetic x-ray image reconstructed from a collection of projection x-ray images;

process the collection of the projection x-ray images in the controller into one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images representing a volume of the specimen and relating to one or more image planes that are selectively the same or different from that of the two-dimensional x-ray image; and

selectively display the two-dimensional x-ray image and the one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images.

5. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the probe and ultrasound base unit are in two-way communication with one another.

6. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the probe and ultrasound base unit are in communication via at least one of a cable or a wireless system.

7. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound base unit also includes a display driver that is configured to receive the ultrasound image from the processor and send it to the controller, the controller configured to selectively display the ultrasound image on the display.

8. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the x-ray image and the ultrasound image are concurrently displayed.

9. A cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system for obtaining x-ray images, projection x-ray images, reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images and ultrasound images of a specimen, the system comprising:

a cabinet comprises a walled enclosure surrounding an interior chamber, a door configured to cover the interior chamber, a sampling chamber within the interior chamber for containing the specimen and an equipment enclosure;

a display;

an x-ray system including:

an x-ray source positioned in the interior chamber;

an x-ray detector positioned in the interior chamber;

a specimen platform positioned in the interior chamber and which is a protective cover of and in physical contact with the x-ray detector;

a motion control mechanism positioned in the interior chamber and configured for moving the x-ray source to or along a plurality of positions within the interior chamber relative to the specimen disposed on the specimen platform; and

a controller positioned in the equipment enclosure and configured to:

selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the x-ray detector at selected positions of the x-ray source relative to the specimen such that the isocenter of the emitted x-rays at the selected positions is located at a surface of the x-ray detector;

control the x-ray detector to collect a projection x-ray images of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized at the selected positions, wherein one of the projection x-ray images is a two-dimensional x-ray image taken at standard imaging angle of approximately 0°;

create a tomosynthetic x-ray image reconstructed from a collection of projection x-ray images;

process the collection of the projection x-ray images in the controller into one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images representing a volume of the specimen and relating to one or more image planes that are selectively the same or different from that of the two-dimensional x-ray image; and

selectively display the two-dimensional x-ray image on the display and the one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images; and

an ultrasound system including:

a probe configured to transmit an ultrasound wave and receive sonographic data in response to the transmitted ultrasound wave; and

an ultrasound base unit positioned in the equipment enclosure and in communication with the probe and including a processor and a display driver, the processor configured to receive the sonographic data from the probe and perform image processing functions on sonographic data to collect an ultrasound image, the display driver configured to receive the ultrasound image from the processor and send it to the controller, the controller configured to selectively display the ultrasound image on the display.

10. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 9 , wherein the specimen platform is configured for excised tissue, organ or bone specimens.

11. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 9 , wherein the specimen platform is configured for any organic or inorganic specimen that fits inside an x-ray cabinet.

12. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 9 , wherein the probe and ultrasound base unit are in two-way communication with one another.

13. The cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system of claim 9 , wherein the probe and ultrasound base unit are in communication via at least one of a cable or a wireless system.

14. A method for obtaining an x-ray image and an ultrasound image of a specimen in a cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system, processing and displaying the x-ray image and ultrasound image of the specimen, wherein the cabinet x-ray and ultrasound system comprises:

a cabinet defining an interior chamber;

a display;

an x-ray system including:

an x-ray source;

an x-ray detector;

a specimen platform having a protective cover of and in physical contact with the x-ray detector;

a motion control mechanism configured for moving the x-ray source to or along a plurality of positions within the interior chamber relative to the specimen disposed on the specimen platform; and

a controller configured to:

selectively energize the x-ray source to emit x-rays through the specimen to the x-ray detector at selected positions of the x-ray source relative to the specimen such that the isocenter of the emitted x-rays at the selected positions is located at a surface of the x-ray detector;

control the x-ray detector to collect a-projection x-ray images of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized at the selected positions, wherein one of the projection x-ray images is a two-dimensional x-ray image taken at standard imaging angle of approximately 0°;

create a tomosynthetic x-ray image reconstructed from a collection of projection x-ray images;

process the collection of the projection x-ray images in the controller into one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images representing a volume of the specimen and relating to one or more image planes that are selectively the same or different from that of the two-dimensional x-ray image; and

selectively display the projection x-ray images and the one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images on the display; and

an ultrasound system including:

a probe configured to transmit an ultrasound wave and receive sonographic data in response to the transmitted ultrasound wave; and

an ultrasound base unit in communication with the probe and including a processor, the processor configured to receive the sonographic data from the probe and perform image processing functions on sonographic data to collect an ultrasound image and selectively display the ultrasound image on the display, wherein the method comprises:

controlling the x-ray detector to collect projection x-ray images of the specimen when the x-ray source is energized at the selected positions such that the isocenter of the emitted x-rays at the selected positions is located at a surface of the x-ray detector, wherein one of the projection x-ray images is a two-dimensional x-ray image taken at standard imaging angle of approximately 0°;

controlling the ultrasound system to transmit an ultrasound wave and receive sonographic data in response to the transmitted ultrasound wave and processing the sonographic data to collect an ultrasound image;

creating a tomosynthetic x-ray image reconstructed from a collection of projection x-ray images;

processing the collection of the x-ray images in the controller into one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images representing a volume of the specimen and relating to one or more image planes that are selectively the same or different from that of the two-dimensional x-ray image; and

selectively displaying at least one of the following: at least one of the projection x-ray images, the one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images and the ultrasound image on the display.

15. The method of claim 14 , comprising concurrently displaying at least one of the projection x-ray images and the ultrasound image.

16. The method of claim 14 , comprising concurrently displaying at least two of the projection x-ray images, the one or more reconstructed tomosynthetic x-ray images and the ultrasound image.