Mammogram tender machine

An apparatus and method of examining the breast of a woman who has difficulty in standing or raising her arms by providing an X-ray machine having x-ray emitting and receiving members that are rotatable about a vertical axis and movable up and down along the vertical axis. A cup member having an interior configured to receive one of the woman's breast is placed over a breast and suction from a source of suction is applied to the interior of the cup member to expand the breast to fill the cup. The X-ray emitting and receiving members of the X-ray machine are then oriented relative to the cup member to perform an examination of the breast inside the cup member while the woman is either in a sitting or standing position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to apparatus and method for positioning an X-ray imaging machine relative to a patient as opposed to positioning a patient relative to the X-ray machine in combination with a suction holding device for positioning a breast of a woman who has difficulties in raising her arms or in standing.

2. Description of Related Art

Mammography is a test that uses x-rays to generate images of the breast tissue. The test is performed to detect and evaluate abnormalities such as tumors and cysts. It is very important to perform mammograms regularly.

Successful treatment of breast cancer depends on early diagnosis. Mammography plays a major role in early detection of breast cancers. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports that mammography can find 85 to 90 percent of breast cancers in women over the age of 50. Clearly, the benefits of mammography far outweigh the risks and inconvenience of not having one. A screening mammogram is an x-ray examination of the breasts in a woman who has no complaints or symptoms of breast cancer. The goal of screening mammography is to detect cancer when it is still too small to be felt by a woman or her physician. Early detection of small breast cancers by screening mammography greatly improves a woman's chances for successful treatment. Screening mammography is recommended every one to two years for women once they reach 40 years of age and every year once they reach 50 years of age. Also, the current recommendation is to have a base line mammogram at the age of 35. In some instances, physicians may advise beginning screening mammography before age 40 (e.g. if the woman has a strong family history of breast cancer).

During mammography, a woman stands in front of a mammography machine and one of her breasts is placed on a clear plastic plate and gently, but firmly, pressed from another plate above her breast. This compression flattens the breast so that the maximum amount of tissue can be imaged and examined. The pressure lasts a few seconds and does not harm the breast. but can be painful The same steps are repeated with the other breast. The plates of the machine are then tilted to take a side view of each breast. When done, a woman will have two different views of each breast for a total of four pictures.

In another procedure a woman stands in front of an X-ray machine and raises her arms to elevate her breasts. With either of these procedures, a young or an older woman who has difficulty in either raising her arms or in standing will experience some degree of discomfort.

What is needed is an X-ray machine that can be positioned to screen the breast of a woman who has difficulty in either raising her arms or in standing in combination with a device that can position a woman's breast to a desired position for an X-ray examination with minimum discomfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment of the present invention, there is disclosed an apparatus for examining the breast of a woman who has difficulty in standing or raising her arms by providing an X-ray machine having x-ray emitting and receiving members that are rotatable about a vertical axis and movable up and down along the vertical axis. A cup member having an interior configured to receive one of the woman's breast is placed over a breast and suction from a source of suction is applied to the interior of the cup member to expand the breast to fill the cup. The X-ray emitting and receiving members of the X-ray machine are then oriented relative to the cup member to perform an examination of the breast inside the cup member while the woman is either in a sitting or standing position.

In another embodiment there is disclosed a method of examining the breast of a woman who has difficulty in standing or raising her arms by providing an X-ray machine having x-ray emitting and receiving members that are rotatable about a vertical axis and movable up and down along the vertical axis. A cup member having an interior configured to receive one of the woman's breast is placed over a breast and suction from a source of suction is applied to the interior of the cup member to expand the breast to fill the cup. The X-ray emitting and receiving members of the X-ray machine are then oriented relative to the cup member to perform an examination of the breast inside the cup member while the woman is either in a sitting or standing position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIG. 1there is shown a schematic view of an X-ray machine10that can be raised or lowered and rotated about a vertical axis using handles12to accommodate a woman who has difficulties in either standing or raising her arms for a breast X-ray examination. In operation, a woman either stands in position or sits in a chair, not shown, in front of the X-ray machine and two breast receiving suction cups14,16are positioned over her left and right breasts. Suction is then applied to the cups to draw the breasts into the cups and properly position the breasts for an X-ray examination. The scanning18and receiving 20 members of the X-ray machine are movable vertically, up and down, and are rotatable about a vertical axis to position the X-ray machine relative to a part of the body that is to be examined.

The suction that is applied to the holding cups is controlled by the X-ray machine operator by foot operated control paddles22,24. Referring toFIG. 2, there is shown a side view of a breast receiving and suction holding cup14, it being understood that cups14and16are similar.

Cup14has a hollow interior for receiving at least a portion of a woman's breast (not shown). The cup14can be a half of a sphere or triangular in shape, or any other convenient shape and includes an opening that is connected to a source of suction28through a suction regulator and gauge30and that maintains the level of suction at a predetermined constant level that is applied to the breast in the cup. The suction pressure that is applied to the breast is sufficient to expand the breast and to cause the skin of the breast to press against the wall of cup member14. Thus, the breast is held steady within the cup member14and the suction pressure provides minimal or no discomfort to the patient while the X-ray examination procedure is being preformed. The cup member14is preferably made of a material which is transparent to x-rays. The interior of the cup can be lined with a soft pliable sheet of rubber or plastic which will collapse around the breast as suction is applied to accommodate breasts of different sizes. In another embodiment, various size liners can be placed inside the cup which fit the size of the breast being examined.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the preferred embodiments, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes of the form and details of the apparatus illustrated and in the operation may be done by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the invention.