Granted Patent B2

US 12,507,980 · App. 17/910,301 · Granted Dec 30, 2025

Inventor: Shawn St. Pierre (Marlborough, MA)

Assignee: Hologic, Inc.

A61B8/085A61B6/025A61B6/0414A61B6/12A61B6/469A61B6/502A61B6/5217A61B6/5247A61B6/566A61B8/0825A61B8/4263A61B8/4416A61B8/463G16H30/40

Abstract

Claims (31)

1 . A method of identifying a location of a region of interest within a breast, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device associated with an x-ray imaging device, an indication of the region of interest within the breast;

obtaining compressed location coordinates of the region of interest within the breast when the breast is under compression;

applying a mathematical tissue deformation model to the compressed location coordinates of the region of interest to predict uncompressed location coordinates of the region of interest within the breast when the breast is not under compression;

saving the predicted uncompressed location coordinates to a data store;

communicating the predicted uncompressed location coordinates to a computing system associated with a second imaging device;

receiving, from the computing system associated with the second imaging device, an image of the breast including a second region of interest, wherein the location of the second region of interest is based at least on the predicted uncompressed location coordinates; and

determining a confidence level that the region of interest and the second region of interest represent a same region of interest.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the region of interest is identified during an x-ray imaging procedure of the breast when the breast is under compression.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the x-ray imaging procedure is digital breast tomosynthesis.

4 . The method of claim 2 , wherein receiving the indication of the region of interest within the breast comprises receiving input indicating a lesion identified during the x-ray imaging procedure.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising determining a distance the breast spreads on a paddle during the x-ray imaging procedure and determining a deformation curve based on the distance and a known force applied to the breast with the paddle.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the uncompressed location coordinates comprise at least two of a clock position relative to a nipple of the breast, a depth from a surface of the breast, and a distance from the nipple.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the compressed location coordinates comprise at least one of Cartesian coordinates and polar coordinates.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising reporting the predicted uncompressed location coordinates of the region of interest to an optical tracking system in communication with an ultrasound system.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising reporting a location of at least one biomarker to the optical tracking system, the biomarker being obtained during an x-ray imaging procedure of the breast when the breast is under compression.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the compressed location coordinates comprises accessing the compressed location coordinates from a remote data store.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the mathematical tissue deformation model calculates the predicted uncompressed location coordinates based on a density and volume of the breast, and wherein the mathematical tissue deformation model is generated based on a deformation curve and x-ray image of the breast.

12 . A method of identifying a location of a region of interest within a breast, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device associated with an x-ray imaging device, an indication of the region of interest within the breast;

obtaining compressed location coordinates of the region of interest within the breast when the breast is under compression;

applying a mathematical tissue deformation model to the compressed location coordinates of the region of interest to predict uncompressed location coordinates of the region of interest within the breast when the breast is not under compression, wherein the mathematical tissue deformation model calculates the predicted uncompressed location coordinates based on a density and volume of the breast, and wherein the mathematical tissue deformation model is generated based on a deformation curve and x-ray image of the breast; and

saving the predicted uncompressed location coordinates to a data store.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the region of interest is identified during an x-ray imaging procedure of the breast when the breast is under compression.

14 . The method of claim 13 , further comprising determining a distance the breast spreads on a paddle during the x-ray imaging procedure and determining a deformation curve based on the distance and a known force applied to the breast with the paddle.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the x-ray imaging procedure is digital breast tomosynthesis.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein receiving the indication of the region of interest within the breast comprises receiving input indicating a lesion identified during the x-ray imaging procedure.

17 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the uncompressed location coordinates comprise at least two of a clock position relative to a nipple of the breast, a depth from a surface of the breast, and a distance from the nipple.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the compressed location coordinates comprise at least one of Cartesian coordinates and polar coordinates.

19 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising reporting the predicted uncompressed location coordinates of the region of interest to an optical tracking system in communication with an ultrasound system.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising reporting a location of at least one biomarker to the optical tracking system, the biomarker being obtained during an x-ray imaging procedure of the breast when the breast is under compression.

Assignments (4)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (400)