Patent ID: 9332947
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: A61B

Claim Text:
1. An x-ray breast imaging system comprising: a data acquisition unit comprising an x-ray source configured to selectively emit an imaging x-ray beam, an image receptor configured to receive said beam and produce a plurality of x-ray imaging information in response thereto, and a breast immobilizer between the source and the receptor; said breast immobilizer comprising a breast platform configured to support a patient's breast for imaging with said beam and a compression paddle supported for movement toward the breast platform to compress the breast and away from the breast platform to release the breast; said compression paddle having a front wall configured to be adjacent the patient's chest wall when the patient's breast is supported for said imaging, side walls extending transversely to the front wall, and an underside facing the breast platform; a paddle jacket removably secured to the compression paddle, said jacket having a first flexible sheet and a second flexible sheet joined at a seam, wherein the first flexible sheet and the second flexible sheet extend along the underside of the paddle when secured to the paddle and form an inflatable chamber, and a fluid conduit that is in fluid flow communication with said chamber; a fluid control unit releasably coupled with said conduit, said fluid control unit configured to selectively supply fluid to said chamber through said conduit and thereby selectively inflate and deflate the chamber, said fluid control unit further configured to maintain a substantially uniform internal pressure throughout an imaging procedure; an image processor coupled with said image receptor and configured to receive said imaging information therefrom and produce x-ray images; and a workstation and system control unit coupled with said data acquisition unit, said fluid control unit and said image processor, and configured to control operations thereof in response to operator inputs.