Patent ID: 8275090

Claim:
A multi-mode breast tomosynthesis/mammography system comprising: an image acquisition unit comprising an x-ray source, a breast immobilizer, and an x-ray image receptor, said unit acquiring projection x-ray images of an object at selected projection angles; a scan motion controller selectively operating said system: in a tomosynthesis mode, in which at least one of the x-ray source and the x-ray image receptor moves relative to the breast immobilizer while a patient's breast remains immobilized therein and take tomosynthesis projection images at respective angles or angle ranges of the source relative to the breast immobilizer; or in a mammography mode, in which the x-ray source, the breast immobilizer and the x-ray image receptor maintain a fixed rotational relationship to move together under the control of the scan motion controller and take at least one mammography image; an initial gain map generator configured to receive x-ray projection images taken with said image acquisition unit of a phantom at a multiplicity of first projection angles while said system is operating in said tomosynthesis mode, said initial gain map generator being further configured to process the projection images of the phantom received thereby and generate therefrom an initial gain map for each of said first projection angles; an enhanced gain map generator configured to receive said initial gain maps, said enhanced map generator being further configured to process the initial gain maps received thereby and generate therefrom at least one enhanced gain map; a mammography gain map generator configured to receive at least one mammographic image of a phantom while the system is operating in said mammography mode and to generate a mammography gain map therefrom; an image generator configured to receive said enhanced gain maps and tomosynthesis projection x-ray images of a patient's breast taken with said image acquisition unit at a multiplicity of second projection angles while the system is operating in said tomosynthesis mode, said image generator being further configured to gain-correct said tomosynthesis breast images with said at least one enhanced gain maps to thereby generate gain-corrected tomosynthesis breast images; said image generator being further configured said image generator being further configured to receive at least one mammography image generated while the system is operating in said mammography mode and to gain correct said mammography image with said mammography gain map to thereby generate a gain-corrected mammography image; and selectively displaying at least some of said tomosynthesis projection images, said gain-corrected tomosynthesis breast images and said gain-corrected mammography image.