Patent ID: 7731662
Filing Date: 2010-06-08
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A process [ FIGS. 1 & 2 ] of ultrasonically scanning an upwardly facing breast of a supine patient while pressing the breast from above with a couplant-impregnated porous sheet that is secured to and moving with an ultrasound scanning assembly suspended on an articulated arm, which articulated arm selectively moves the scanning assembly up to place the porous sheet out of contact with the breast and down to place the porous sheet in a scanning position in pressing contact with the breast, comprising: providing a scanning assembly [ selectively manipulating the articulated arm to thereby move the scanning assembly, with the porous sheet maintained secured thereto, downward into a scanning position in which an exposed surface of said porous sheet comes into and maintains a pressing contact with the breast; impregnating said porous sheet with acoustic couplant liquid while away from the breast and/or in contact with the breast; when the scanning assembly is in said scanning position and the porous sheet is impregnated with said acoustic couplant, scanning the breast through said acoustic couplant impregnated sheet with a mechanically controlled ultrasound transducer [ said ultrasound transducer moving with respect to said porous sheet along a selected scanning path [ said ultrasound transducer sending ultrasound energy into the breast and receiving ultrasound energy from the breast though said acoustic couplant impregnated porous sheet during said scanning; and selectively manipulating said articulated arm after said scanning to thereby move said scanning assembly upward and out of contact between the breast and the acoustic couplant impregnated porous sheet.