Patent ID: 7699783
Filing Date: 2010-04-20
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A method for imaging and treating a breast of a patient, comprising: a) disposing the breast into a bath with a bath wall and containing a medium; b) physically securing the breast and maintaining the breast in a repeatable position and in a repeatable shape with respect to a chest wall of the patient by securing the breast to a frame suspended from a table supporting the patient; c) scanning the breast with ultrasound signals from transducer arrays to create a three-dimensional image of the breast and to locate a position of a tumor or a lesion in the breast with respect to the three-dimensional image; d) removing the breast from the bath by elevating the table with respect to the bath wall with the frame suspended from the table while maintaining the position and the shape of the breast with respect to the chest wall of the patient as during scanning; and e) further treating the tumor or the lesion of the breast.