JP2009178227A - X-ray imaging apparatus and application method of x-ray imaging apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an X-ray imaging apparatus capable of photographing the breast to the root while reducing a subject's pain in positioning, and an application method of the X-ray imaging apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The X-ray imaging apparatus 10 comprises a photographing base 22 formed to allow the breast N of the subject W in a standing position abuts on a photographing surface 20, and a breast wall pad 30 detachably stuck to the subject sidewall surface of the photographing base. An upper edge part 30U of the breast wall pad 30 is separated downward from the photographing surface 20 by a distance L within a range of 20-40 mm. When carrying out positioning, even if the subject W positions the breast N as far as the root NJ on the photographing surface 20, the subject's pain does not increase so much. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a medical X-ray imaging apparatus and a method for using the X-ray imaging apparatus.

  In the current medical device industry, various devices have been developed due to intense competition due to various social backgrounds. As the competition in the medical device industry increases and matures, there is a demand for the development of a device that is more comfortable for the subject than before.

  One of such devices is an X-ray imaging device (mammography) that images a subject's breast for the purpose of early detection of breast cancer. In recent years, X-ray receivers that directly acquire digital images using FPD have been developed from X-ray receivers that use cassettes by CR, and the development of the device itself is free as well as further digitization and networking in the medical field. The degree is promoted. As described above, since the cassette telescope is realized by the FPD, in the X-ray imaging apparatus, technical progress has been seen such that the thickness of the imaging stand becomes thinner than before.

  By the way, in mammography, the screening rate has been sluggish due to pain associated with positioning. For this reason, it has been required to reduce the pain of the subject so that the patient can be comfortably consulted. In particular, since the subject after the operation for breast cancer feels pain more sensitively than a healthy person, this demand is strongly expressed.

As a countermeasure, it has been proposed to attach a pad member (pad device) to the chest wall on the subject side of the imaging table (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
US5541972

  However, in the X-ray imaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when positioning, if the chest part below the breast is strongly pressed against the chest wall pad so that the root of the breast is not separated from the imaging table, the chest wall pad is pressed. The pain felt by the subject is greater than when not provided. For this reason, by providing the chest wall pad, the root of the breast is easily separated from the imaging table, and there is a possibility that X-rays do not reach the root of the breast and the image is defective. In mammography, it is important to be able to capture the root of the breast with a single exposure. EUREF, which is a European mammography standard, and Japan's JIS standard strictly define that an imaging area of 5 mm or less from the chest wall should be secured. The importance is also evident from the fact that

  In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to provide an X-ray imaging apparatus and a method for using the X-ray imaging apparatus that can suppress the pain of the subject when positioning and can image the breast to the root. .

  The invention described in claim 1 is an X-ray imaging apparatus for imaging a breast of a subject standing at least in the upper body, the imaging base body contacting the imaging surface with the breast, and a subject-side wall surface of the imaging base body A chest wall pad with which the chest wall of the subject abuts, and the chest wall pad is softer than the body of the imaging table, and the upper edge of the pad is predetermined downward from the imaging surface during CC photography. It is characterized by being spaced apart.

  The chest wall pad may be integrated with the imaging table, or may be separate from the imaging table.

  In the first aspect of the present invention, the imaging table thus has the chest wall pad on the wall surface on the subject side. The chest wall pad is arranged at a position where the upper edge of the pad is spaced a predetermined distance downward from the imaging surface during CC (Cranio &#8722; Caudal) imaging. Therefore, when positioning the subject, the pain of the subject does not increase so much even if the subject is positioned on the imaging surface up to the root of the breast. Thus, a good image can be obtained up to the root of the breast by photographing.

  In addition, the reproducibility of the posture of the subject is good. Therefore, when the same subject is photographed again after several days, months, or even years after photographing, the subject can position in the same posture.

  Moreover, this chest wall pad is softer than a photography stand. Accordingly, the subject feels more comfortable when the chest portion below the breast comes into contact with the chest wall pad without directly contacting the imaging table. In addition, since the chest wall pad is softer than the imaging stand, the chest wall pad is often made of resin and is not made of metal. Therefore, when the chest part below the breast comes into contact with the chest wall pad, the subject does not feel cold.

  Considering that the skin of the subject is in contact with the surface of the chest wall pad, the material of the chest wall pad is a material that has less sebum adhesion, is less susceptible to pulling the skin, and has antibacterial properties. Is preferred.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the predetermined interval is in a range of 20 to 40 mm. If it is shorter than 20 mm, it is difficult to position the root of the breast on the imaging surface when positioning. On the other hand, if it is longer than 40 mm, the chest part below the breast is likely to come into contact with the imaging table, and abdominal pain is likely to occur.

  The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the chest wall pad can be detachably attached to the wall surface. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the chest wall pad can be easily provided only when the chest wall pad is necessary.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that a predetermined pasting position of the chest wall pad is displayed on the wall surface. According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the chest wall pad can be attached to the predetermined position in a short time. Also, the reproducibility of the pasting position is good.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a center position in the left-right direction of the predetermined pasting position at the time of CC photographing is displayed on the wall surface, and a to-be-aligned portion that is aligned with the center position in the left-right direction is provided on the chest wall pad. It is characterized by being.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the chest wall pad can be attached to the predetermined attachment position in a short time by aligning the alignment portion provided on the chest wall pad with the center position in the left-right direction of the wall surface. .

  The invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that the subject side peripheral portion of the chest wall pad is a rounded corner portion having a radius of 1 mm or more.

  In the invention according to claim 6, since the subject side peripheral portion of the chest wall pad is sufficiently rounded, when the chest portion below the breast comes into contact with the chest wall pad, the subject side peripheral portion of the chest wall pad is It is avoided that the subject feels pain.

  The invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the chest wall pad has a thickness of 5 mm or more. If it is thinner than 5 mm, it is difficult to exert the effect as a chest wall pad. In addition, it is preferable to make it softer as it is thicker, that is, to make the thickness thinner when the chest part below the breast of the subject abuts against the chest wall pad.

  The invention according to claim 8 is an X-ray imaging apparatus for imaging the breast of a subject whose upper body is standing at least, and includes an imaging table with which the breast abuts on the imaging surface, on the subject side wall of the imaging table. Is characterized in that a predetermined affixing position of the chest wall pad with which the subject's chest wall abuts is displayed so that the upper edge of the pad is spaced downward from the imaging surface at a predetermined interval during CC imaging.

  In the invention described in claim 8, the predetermined attachment position of the chest wall pad is displayed by marking or the like on the subject side wall of the imaging table. Therefore, even if the photographing stand is not provided with a chest wall pad, the chest wall pad can be attached to the predetermined attachment position with good reproducibility, and the same effects as in the first, third, and fourth aspects can be achieved.

  The invention according to claim 9 is a method of using an X-ray imaging apparatus that performs CC imaging using an X-ray imaging apparatus including an imaging table on which an imaging surface with which a breast of a subject whose upper body is standing is abutted is formed. In addition, a chest wall pad that is softer than the imaging table and abuts on the chest wall of the subject is provided on a wall surface on the subject side of the imaging table at a position spaced apart from the imaging surface by a predetermined interval.

  In the ninth aspect of the present invention, when performing CC imaging, the chest wall pad is provided at a position spaced apart from the imaging surface by a predetermined distance. Accordingly, since the root of the subject's breast can be positioned on the imaging surface, an image can be obtained by photographing the breast root by imaging.

  In addition, a chest wall pad that is softer than the imaging table is provided. Therefore, the subject can feel more comfortable by the chest part below the breast coming into contact with the chest wall pad without directly contacting the imaging table. In addition, since the chest wall pad is softer than the imaging stand, the chest wall pad is often made of resin and is not made of metal. Therefore, when the chest part below the breast comes into contact with the chest wall pad, the subject does not feel cold.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be set as the X-ray imaging device which can suppress the test subject's pain at the time of positioning, and can image | photograph a breast to a root, and an X-ray imaging device usage method.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described and embodiments of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an X-ray imaging apparatus (mammography) 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The X-ray imaging apparatus 10 is an apparatus that images a breast of a standing subject with X-rays, and performs both CC (head-to-tail direction) imaging and MLO (inside / outside oblique direction: Media-Lateral-Oblique) imaging. It is a device that can be performed. FIG. 2 is a front view of an imaging table that constitutes the X-ray imaging apparatus 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a main part of an imaging stand constituting the X-ray imaging apparatus 10. FIG. 4 is a side view for explaining that the X-ray imaging apparatus 10 performs X-ray imaging with a thin breast.

  The X-ray imaging apparatus 10 includes a measurement unit 12 that is substantially C-shaped (U-shaped) when viewed from the side and a base unit 14 that supports the measurement unit 12 from behind. The measurement unit 12 is provided with a rotation shaft 16 that extends to the back surface and is rotatably supported by the base portion 14. Measurement is performed by the rotation shaft 16 being supported by the base portion 14. The part 12 is rotatably supported by the base part 14.

  The measurement unit 12 is provided with an imaging table 22 on which a planar imaging surface 20 that abuts against a breast N (see FIG. 4) of a standing subject (patient) and an X-ray tube (not shown). A radiation irradiation unit 24 that irradiates the imaging surface 20 with X-rays for examination, a pressing plate 26 that presses the breast N against the imaging surface 20, an imaging table 22, the radiation irradiation unit 24, and the pressing plate 26 are held. Holding part 28. The holding unit 28 holds the imaging table 22 and the radiation irradiation unit 24 so that the imaging surface 20 and the radiation irradiation unit 24 are separated from each other by a predetermined distance, and the interval between the pressing plate 26 and the imaging surface 20 is variable. The pressing plate 26 is slidably held.

  A chest wall pad 30 that is formed on the imaging table 22 on the front side and abuts a chest portion BL below the breast N of the subject W (see FIG. 4) at the time of CC imaging is on the subject side of the imaging table 22. It is detachably attached to the wall surface 23 (see FIGS. 1 to 4). The front side of the chest wall pad 30 is flat.

  The chest wall pad 30 has an elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the subject side. During CC imaging, the chest wall pad 30 is affixed to the wall surface 23 so that the upper edge 30U of the chest wall pad 30 is spaced apart from the imaging surface 20 by a distance L. The edge portion 22E is exposed. In this embodiment, the distance L is in the range of 20 to 40 mm. The edge portion 22E is a rounded corner portion having a radius of 5 to 10 mm.

  On the wall surface 23, a left mark ML, a center mark MC, and a right mark MR indicating the position to which the chest wall pad 30 is applied are printed on a straight line parallel to the imaging surface 20. A center mark MP is displayed on the chest wall pad 30 at the center position in the longitudinal direction. The chest wall pad 30 is affixed to a predetermined position on the wall surface 23 so that the upper edge portion 30U of the chest wall pad 30 is positioned on the left mark ML, the center mark MC, and the right mark MR. A center mark MP is located immediately below the center mark MC.

  The subject side peripheral edge 30E of the chest wall pad 30 is all rounded corners having a radius of 1 mm or more. The chest wall pad 30 has a thickness of 5 mm or more.

  The material of the chest wall pad 30 is softer than the imaging table 22. Considering that the skin of the subject is in contact with the surface of the chest wall pad 30, the material of the chest wall pad 30 is a material that has less sebum adhesion, is less susceptible to the subject's feeling of pulling the skin, and has antibacterial properties. Is preferred. The chest wall pad 30 is made of, for example, a sponge-like foam material that has little friction even when the subject's abdomen slides. The foam material may be an elastomeric rubber material, but is preferably urethane foam.

  A radiation detector (not shown) that emits radiation that has passed through the imaging surface 20 is disposed inside the imaging table 22.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a pair of handles 40 that the subject W grips with both hands at the time of CC imaging are integrally formed on the imaging table 22 on the radiation irradiation unit side of the imaging surface 20. Yes. The grip portion 42 that constitutes the handle 40 and is gripped by the subject W has a substantially straight rod shape that is inclined to the side opposite to the subject side with respect to the normal line of the imaging surface 20 (that is, the back side for the subject), and approaches the imaging surface 20. Accordingly, it is gradually closer to the subject W side, that is, gradually closer to the chest wall pad 30. Therefore, at the time of CC imaging, the arrangement height of the pair of handles 40 is higher than the imaging surface 20, and the pair of handles 40 are inclined so as to gradually approach the subject W from the upper part to the lower part. The handle 40 is made of a soft member.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pair of handles 40 includes an imaging surface center line extending toward the inside of the imaging surface 20, that is, toward the front side (subject side) as the distance from the imaging surface 20 increases. It is gradually bent toward an orthogonal plane M (hereinafter referred to as a photographing center plane M). Further, the handle 40 is slightly curved so as to be concave on the inner side of the imaging surface 20. In the present embodiment, the tilt angle δ of the handle 40 with respect to the shooting center plane M (that is, the tilt angle δ of the grip portion 42 with respect to the shooting center plane M) is in the range of 0 to 20 °.

(Function, effect)
Hereinafter, the operation and effect of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to use the X-ray imaging apparatus 10, the position of the imaging table 22 is set to a position where CC imaging is performed, and the chest wall pad 30 is attached to the wall surface 23 of the imaging table 22 so as to be easily removable with a double-sided tape or the like. At that time, the chest wall pad 30 is pasted so that the upper edge 30U of the chest wall pad 30 is positioned on the left mark ML, the center mark MC, and the right mark MR, and the center mark MP is positioned directly below the center mark MC. By aligning the upper edge 30U with the left mark ML, the center mark MC, and the right mark MR, the chest wall pad 30 is attached with an accurate parallelism. Further, by pasting so that the center mark MP is positioned directly below the center mark MC, the accuracy of the horizontal position (longitudinal position of the wall surface 23) is also ensured. Therefore, the chest wall pad 30 is easily and easily reproducibly attached to the predetermined accurate attachment position by the imaging technician in a short time. Instead of the center mark MP, guide portions (marks) such as convex portions and concave portions may be formed on the upper edge portion 30U.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the chest wall pad 30 is provided on the subject-side wall surface 23 of the imaging table 22, and the upper edge 30U of the chest wall pad 30 is below the imaging surface 20 at the time of CC imaging. It is arranged at a position separated by 20 mm or more. Therefore, when the subject performs positioning, in the present embodiment, when the axilla of the subject W is positioned at the corner of the imaging table 22, the chest part (chest wall) BL of the subject W is placed in front of the imaging table 22. It becomes possible to make it contact | adhered through the pad 30. FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the subject W can be positioned on the imaging surface 20 up to the root NJ without impairing the feeling that the root (root) NJ of the breast N hits the imaging surface 20.

  Thereby, an image free from defects is obtained by X-rays reaching the root NJ by imaging. Moreover, since the distance L is 40 mm or less, it is difficult for the subject to have abdominal pain. In addition, when the imaging technician re-photographs the same subject, the posture of the subject W is reproducible because the subject exactly matches the position of the semi-fixed axilla with the corner of the imaging table 22 each time. Therefore, when photographing the same subject again after several days, months, or even years after photographing, the subject W can be positioned in the same posture.

  In addition, the reproducibility of the position of the chest wall pad 30 with respect to the longitudinal direction of the wall surface 23 is good by pasting the chest wall pad 30 so that the center mark MP is located directly below the center mark MC. This is more preferable in achieving the above effect.

  Further, the chest wall pad 30 is softer than the photographing table 22. Therefore, the subject W feels more comfortable because the chest portion BL below the breast N does not directly contact the imaging table 22 but contacts the chest wall pad 30. Further, by making the chest wall pad 30 made of resin such as foam material, the subject W does not have to feel cold when the chest portion BL below the breast N comes into contact with the chest wall pad 30.

  Further, the chest wall pad 30 is detachably attached to the wall surface 23. Therefore, the chest wall pad 30 can be easily attached to the imaging table 22 only when the chest wall pad 30 is necessary.

  Further, since the subject side peripheral portion 30E of the chest wall pad 30 is rounded with a radius of 1 mm or more, when the chest portion BL below the breast N comes into contact with the chest wall pad 30, the subject side peripheral portion of the chest wall pad 30 is provided. 30E prevents the subject from feeling pain.

  Furthermore, since the thickness of the chest wall pad 30 is 5 mm or more, the effect as the chest wall pad 30 is sufficiently exhibited.

<Test example>
In order to confirm the effect of the present invention, the inventor has an example of the X-ray imaging apparatus 10 of the above embodiment (hereinafter referred to as the X-ray imaging apparatus of the example) and two examples of a conventional X-ray imaging apparatus ( Hereinafter, the X-ray imaging apparatus of Conventional Example 1 and the X-ray imaging apparatus of Conventional Example 2 were prepared (see FIGS. 5 and 6), and the subject's breast was X-rayed. In the X-ray imaging apparatus of the example, the X-ray imaging apparatus of the conventional example 1, and the X-ray imaging apparatus of the conventional example 2, the dimensions of the chest wall pad are the same, and the arrangement positions of the chest wall pad are different from each other.

  In the X-ray imaging apparatus of Conventional Example 1, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper edge portion 80U of the chest wall pad 80 is at a position away from the imaging surface 82 by a distance D1 = 5 mm. In the X-ray imaging apparatus of Conventional Example 2, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper edge portion 90U of the chest wall pad 90 is at a position away from the imaging surface 92 by a distance D2 = 60 mm.

  In the X-ray imaging apparatus of the example, the base NJ of the breast N was positioned on the imaging surface 20 without the subject W feeling pain in the abdomen. As a result, the image was taken up to the root of the breast N without any loss.

  On the other hand, in the X-ray imaging apparatus of Conventional Example 1, the root NJ of the breast N is located closer to the subject than the imaging surface 82, as shown in FIG. For this reason, the X-ray did not reach the root NJ, and the image of the root NJ was missing. Further, in the X-ray imaging apparatus of Conventional Example 2, as shown in FIG. 6, the abdomen of the subject W is in contact with the wall surface 93 on the subject side of the imaging table 94. For this reason, the subject W felt pain in the abdomen and felt cold.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the above embodiments are merely examples, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the chest wall pad 30 may be integrally provided on the imaging table 22. Needless to say, the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

1 is a perspective view of an X-ray imaging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the imaging stand which comprises the X-ray imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the principal part of the imaging stand which comprises the X-ray imaging device which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a side view explaining X-ray imaging by making the breast thin with the X-ray imaging device concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is an example of the conventional X-ray imaging device used in the test example, and is a side view for explaining the X-ray imaging with a thin breast. It is a side view explaining X-ray imaging with a thin breast in another example of a conventional X-ray imaging apparatus used in a test example.

Explanation of symbols

10 X-ray imaging device 20 Imaging surface 22 Imaging table (imaging table, imaging table body)
23 Wall 30 Chest wall pad 30E Subject side peripheral edge 30U Upper edge (pad upper edge)
80 Chest wall pad 80U Upper edge (pad upper edge)
82 Imaging surface 90 Chest wall pad 90U Upper edge (pad upper edge)
92 Shooting surface 93 Wall surface 94 Shooting table D1 Distance D2 Distance L Distance (predetermined interval)
N Breast W Subject ML Left mark (predetermined attachment position)
MC center mark (predetermined pasting position, horizontal center position)
MR right mark (predetermined pasting position)
MP center mark (position to be aligned)

Claims (9)

An X-ray imaging apparatus for imaging a breast of a subject whose at least upper body is standing,
A photographic stand having a photographic stand main body with which a breast abuts on the photographing surface, and a chest wall pad provided on a subject-side wall of the photographic stand main body with which a subject's chest wall abuts,
The chest wall pad is softer than the main body of the imaging table, and an X-ray imaging apparatus characterized in that the upper edge of the pad is spaced apart from the imaging surface by a predetermined distance during CC imaging.   The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined interval is in a range of 20 to 40 mm.   The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chest wall pad can be detachably attached to the wall surface.   The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a predetermined attachment position of the chest wall pad is displayed on the wall surface. The center position in the left-right direction of the predetermined pasting position at the time of CC shooting is displayed on the wall surface,
The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a portion to be aligned that is aligned with the center position in the left-right direction is provided on the chest wall pad.   6. The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a subject side peripheral portion of the chest wall pad is a rounded corner portion having a radius of 1 mm or more.   The X-ray imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chest wall pad has a thickness of 5 mm or more. An X-ray imaging apparatus for imaging a breast of a subject whose at least upper body is standing,
It has a photographic stand where the breast comes into contact with the photographic surface,
A predetermined affixing position of the chest wall pad with which the subject's chest wall abuts is displayed on the wall surface on the subject side of the imaging table so that the upper edge of the pad is spaced apart from the imaging surface by a predetermined interval during CC imaging. An X-ray imaging apparatus characterized by the above. A method of using an X-ray imaging apparatus that performs CC imaging using an X-ray imaging apparatus including an imaging table on which an imaging surface on which a breast of a subject whose upper body is standing is in contact is formed,
A method of using an X-ray imaging apparatus, comprising: a chest wall pad softer than the imaging table and in contact with the chest wall of the subject at a position spaced apart from the imaging surface by a predetermined interval on the subject side wall of the imaging table. .

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