Patent ID: 8838207

Claim:
A radiographic image capturing apparatus comprising: a radiation source adapted to apply radiation to an object to be examined of a subject; a radiation detector adapted to detect radiation that has passed through the object to be examined, and to convert the detected radiation into a radiographic image; an image capturing base housing the radiation detector therein; and a compression plate, which is displaceable toward the image capturing base, said compression plate adapted to compress and secure the object to be examined on the image capturing base, said compression plate having an opening defined therein so as to expose a portion of the object to be examined, the -opening being located offset from a center position of the compression plate in both a length direction and a width direction of the compression plate, wherein the compression plate and the image capturing base are adapted to secure the object to be examined therebetween at a position off-center from a central position of the image capturing base near the subject in a direction along the subject and off-center from a perpendicular axis of the image capturing base in a direction along the subject, the perpendicular axis passing through the central position, wherein the radiation source is adapted to be turned between a central angle and a predetermined angle that are asymmetrical with respect to the subject, the central angle being aligned with the perpendicular axis, the predetermined angle being spaced angularly about the central position from the central angle toward the object to be examined so as to confront the object to be examined, wherein the radiation source is configured to irradiate the object to be examined with the radiation from the central angle and the predetermined angle for capturing a stereographic image from the central angle and the predetermined angle, and wherein the radiation detector generates at least two radiographic images each corresponding to the central angle and the predetermined angle, and the radiographic image capturing apparatus further comprises a region-of-interest position information calculator adapted to calculate a three-dimensional position of a region of interest in the object to be examined based on the at least two radiographic images, said image capturing apparatus further comprising: an opening detector adapted to detect a position of the opening in the compression plate; and a radiation source energization control means for controlling an irradiation field based on the detected position of the compression plate opening, said irradiation field delimited by a collimator to delimit the irradiation field of the radiation such that at least the portion of the object to be examined and the opening are included within the irradiation field.