Patent ID: 7828732

Claim:
A system for ultrasound examination of a patient's breast, comprising: a scanning apparatus including (i) an ultrasonically transparent compressive member configured to selectively compress the patient's breast along a compression direction, (ii) an ultrasound transducer, and (iii) an actuation assembly coupled to the ultrasound transducer and configured to translate the ultrasound transducer in a scanning direction across the compressive member as the ultrasound transducer scans the compressed breast through the compressive member, the ultrasound transducer being long in a direction transverse to the scanning direction, said scanning apparatus acquiring image data representing a plurality of thin-slice images, said thin-slice images conforming to respective planes that are generally along the compression direction, and each of said thin-slice images representing a thin slice of the patient's breast; a processor configured to process said image data representing said thin-slice images into image data representing a plurality of thick-slice images that are fewer in number than said thin slices, said thick-slice images conforming to respective planes that are transverse to the compression direction, and each of said thick-slice images representing a thick slice of the patient's breast that is thicker than a slice represented by one of said thin-slice images; and a computerized display that displays a plurality of said thick-slice images to thereby represent for viewing medical information regarding the patient's breast in fewer displayed images than if said thin-slice images were displayed.