Patent ID: 8532745

Claim:
A system for facilitating biopsy needle localization utilizing tomosynthesis imaging of a patient's breast comprising: a breast platform configured to support a patient's breast for x-ray imaging and a biopsy needle assembly with a breast biopsy needle; a computer having a program stored thereon configured to receive image data acquired with an x-ray image receptor while an x-ray source moves through a multiplicity of image positions along a source trajectory and irradiates the receptor with an imaging x-ray beam from at least three of said imaging positions after the beam passes through the patient's breast in the course of a tomosynthesis scan; wherein at least a portion of said needle assembly is between at least some of said imaging positions of the x-ray source and the patient's breast on said platform; said computer being further configured to computer-process said image data to obtain (i) at least three tomosynthesis projection images of the breast taken at different angles of the source relative to the breast platform and (ii) a plurality of reconstructed tomosynthesis slice images representing respective slices of the patient's breast; said computer being further configured to counter effects on said tomosynthesis images due to at least a portion of said needle assembly being between at least some of said multiplicity of imaging positions of the x-ray source and the patient's breast by avoiding or reducing use, in said tomosynthesis images, of image data for said at least some of said multiplicity of imaging positions; and a user interface configured to receive said tomosynthesis images from said image forming unit and display said tomosynthesis projection images and said reconstructed tomosynthesis slice images, receive identification of an area of interest inside the patient's breast as imaged in at least one of said tomosynthesis images, and determine therefrom three-dimensional coordinates of the identified area of interest in the breast; wherein said biopsy needle is positioned based on said three-dimensional coordinates of said area of interest in the breast.