Patent ID: 8416915

Claim:
A system selectively operable in each of a tomosynthesis mode and a mammography mode, comprising: an x-ray tube, an x-ray imaging receptor, and a breast immobilizer, wherein (i) the x-ray tube and x-ray imaging receptor are decoupled from the breast immobilizer when the system is operating in said tomosynthesis mode but (ii) the tube, receptor and immobilizer are mounted to move as a unit between different mammography imaging positions when the system is operating in said mammography mode; and an anti-scatter grid mounted between the breast immobilizer and the x-ray imaging receptor; said anti-scatter grid remaining between the source and the receptor to suppress x-ray scatter both when the system is operating in said mammography mode and when the system is operating in said tomosynthesis mode; said system being configured to operate selectively in: (i) said tomosynthesis mode in which the x-ray source selectively emits imaging x-rays from different tomosynthesis imaging positions that are at different angles relative to the breast immobilizer, to thereby obtain a multiplicity of projection tomosynthesis images Tp related to respective ones of said different tomosynthesis imaging positions, and (ii) said mammography mode in which the x-ray source emits imaging x-rays while the x-ray source, the x-ray imaging receptor and the breast immobilizer do not move with respect to each other to thereby obtain a projection mammogram Mp related to one of said mammography imaging positions.