Patent ID: 7206374

Claim:
A method for generating an image of a female breast comprising the steps of: irradiating a female breast with an x-ray beam and detecting x-rays attenuated by the female breast with a digital image transducer; in a first time segment during irradiation of said female breast, irradiating an entirety of a radiation reception area of said digital image transducer with said x-ray beam; determining an earliest point in time during irradiation of said female breast with said x-ray beam at which a position and a size of the female breast are detectable in an x-ray image of said female breast produced from an output of said digital image transducer, said point in time ending said first time segment without generation of a diagnostic image of the female breast; and in a second time segment during irradiation of said female breast with said x-ray beam, starting at said point in time, limiting said x-ray beam to a partial beam and irradiating only a portion of said radiation reception area of said digital image transducer, or irradiating only a part of said female breast with said partial beam, and completing imaging to generate a diagnostic image of said female breast exclusively using said partial beam.