JP5172301B2 - Mammography apparatus and breast compression program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mammography apparatus and a breast compression program.

  Conventionally, mammography screening has been generally performed as a method for detecting breast cancer as well as visual inspection by a doctor. In mammography examination, mammography called mammography is performed by a mammography apparatus (see, for example, Patent Document 1), which is a dedicated apparatus for performing mammography. A doctor makes a diagnosis based on the image.

  In recent years, the number of breast cancer patients has been increasing, and the death rate from breast cancer has also increased. For this reason, a movement to recommend mammography screening is underway nationwide with the aim of early detection of breast cancer.

  Here, in mammography screening, prior to imaging by the mammography apparatus, the operation is to compress the breast, which is the subject, using a compression plate, which compresses the breast, so that the breast is thinly and uniformly extended. This is performed by an operator (engineer) of the mammography apparatus.

  At this time, the engineer keeps in mind that the breast tissue is sufficiently extended by pulling out as much breast tissue as possible within the field of view. This is to obtain the maximum diagnostic effect in mammography examination by reducing the overlap of scattered X-rays from the breast, which is the subject, and breast tissue inside the breast. This operation will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, FIG. 10 is a figure for demonstrating the prior art.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the engineer pulls out the breast of the subject (examination subject) by hand and temporarily extends the breast with respect to the imaging table in which the X-ray detector is built. Press the foot and start pressing with the compression plate. As shown in FIG. 10B, the technician whose hand is sandwiched between the compression plate and the subject's breast is in a state in which the breast pressed against the imaging table is not displaced or returned to its original state. When it becomes, stop the compression with the compression plate and pull out your hand. After that, the compression with the compression plate is resumed, and further compression is performed until the photographing state.

JP 2005-13344 A

  By the way, in the above-described conventional technique, the engineer determines, based on his own sense, that the compressed state of the breast extended with respect to the imaging table has not shifted in the imaging table, and once presses the compression plate with the compression plate. Stop and pull out your hand.

  However, if the pressure when pulling out the hand is too weak, the breast will be displaced by pulling out the hand, and it will be necessary to perform compression with the compression plate again, increasing the burden on the subject and the technician. End up. In addition, if the compressed state when pulling out the hand is too strong, both the subject and the technician will feel pain when pulling out the hand, which increases the burden on the subject and the technician.

  As described above, the above-described conventional technique has a problem that the burden on the subject and the technician is large in the operation of compressing the breast.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems of the prior art, and it is possible to reduce the burden on the subject and the operator of the mammography apparatus in breast compression work. An object is to provide a mammography apparatus and a breast compression program.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a compression plate which is compressed by a compression plate after being extended by an operator's hand, and further compressed after the operator's hand is pulled out. A breast X-ray imaging apparatus that captures an X-ray image of a breast of a subject that has been compressed by a plate until the imaging state is obtained, wherein the compression plate is pressed against the breast of the subject during compression by the compression plate A compression force acquisition means for acquiring the applied compression force, and whether or not it is an extraction timing that is an opportunity to pull out the operator's hand during compression based on the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition means And a pulling time determination means for determining.

Further, the present invention is a method in which the operator presses the compression plate after being extended with respect to the imaging table by the operator's hand and is further compressed by the compression plate until the imaging state is obtained after the operator's hand is pulled out. A breast compression program for causing a computer to execute a breast compression method by a mammography apparatus that captures an X-ray image of a breast of a specimen, wherein the compression plate is pressed against the breast of the subject during compression by the compression plate Whether or not it is a pulling time that is a time to pull out the operator's hand during pressing based on the pressing force acquired by the pressing force acquisition procedure and the pressing force acquired by the pressing force acquisition procedure And a pulling time determination procedure for determining whether or not the computer is executed.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the burden on the subject and the operator of the mammography apparatus.

  Exemplary embodiments of a mammography apparatus and a breast compression program according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, the configuration of the mammography apparatus in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a mammography apparatus in the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the mammography apparatus in the present embodiment includes an X-ray tube 1, a radiation quality adjustment filter / irradiation field limiting mask 2, a face guard 3, a compression plate 4, a grid 5, Imaging stand 6, compression foot pedal 7, information display panel 8, C-arm vertical / rotational fine adjustment switch 9, side panel 10, imaging condition setting panel 11, X-ray high voltage device 12, compression plate An imaging stand device including the control unit 20 and the image processing device 13 are connected to each other.

  The X-ray tube 1 is a vacuum tube for generating X-rays, and the quality control filter / irradiation field limiting mask 2 is a low-energy X-ray component or high-energy X-ray from the X-rays generated by the X-ray tube 1. It is an adjustment tool comprising a radiation quality adjustment filter that adjusts the quality of X-rays by removing components, and an irradiation field limiting mask for limiting the X-ray irradiation field. Further, the face guard 3 is a protective instrument for protecting the subject from X-ray exposure at the time of imaging, and the grid 5 is an instrument for removing scattered rays and improving the image contrast.

  The C-arm vertical / rotation fine adjustment switch 9 is a switch for vertically moving or rotating the C-arm composed of the X-ray tube 1 and the imaging table 6 described later, and the side panel 10 It is an operation panel for controlling each part of an X-ray imaging apparatus. The imaging condition setting panel 11 is a panel for setting X-ray imaging conditions, and the X-ray high voltage device 12 is a device that supplies a voltage to the X-ray tube 1.

  The image processing device 13 is a computer system including a display device, an input device, and the like, and is a device that performs operation control of the entire mammography apparatus and image processing related to a mammogram image taken by the mammography apparatus. It is.

  When returning to the imaging table apparatus, the compression plate 4 is a compression device for pressing the subject's breast against the imaging table 6 at the time of imaging. The imaging table 6 is irradiated from the X-ray tube 1, and the compression plate 4. This is a table equipped with an FPD (Flat Panel Detector) as an X-ray detector that detects X-rays transmitted through the breast of the subject compressed to the imaging state. The compression foot pedal 7 is a pedal for moving the compression plate 4 in the vertical direction and adjusting the position of the compression plate 4 in the vertical direction, and is operated by an engineer who is an operator of the mammography apparatus. . The information display panel 8 is a panel for displaying various information such as compression information. These will be described in detail later.

  Here, in the mammography apparatus in the present embodiment, after being extended with respect to the imaging table 6 by a technician's hand, compression is started by the compression plate 4 by the compression foot pedal 7, and the technician's hand is pulled out. The outline is to take an X-ray image of the breast of the subject that has been further compressed by the compression plate 4 until the imaging state is reached. The main feature of the mammography apparatus in the present embodiment is that it reduces the burden on the subject and the operator of the mammography apparatus by the processing of the compression plate controller 20 described below.

  This main feature will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the compression plate control unit, FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the compression force and the breast thickness, and FIG. 4 explains the compression force change amount calculation unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the plotting unit, FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the area storage unit, and FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the extraction timing determination unit. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the compression plate control unit 20 includes a compression plate drive unit 21, a compression force acquisition unit 22, a breast thickness acquisition unit 23, a compression force change amount calculation unit 24, a plot unit 25, and a region. The storage unit 26 and an extraction timing determination unit 27 are connected to the compression plate 4, the compression foot pedal 7 and the information display panel 8.

  The compression plate drive unit 21 is a drive mechanism including a motor for moving the compression plate 4 in the vertical direction, and the motor is driven when the compression foot pedal 7 is operated by an engineer. Further, when an instruction to stop the compression plate 4 that is compressing the breast of the subject is received from an extraction timing determination unit 27 described later, the motor that is driven to move the compression plate 4 is stopped.

  The compression force acquisition unit 22 acquires the compression force applied to the breast of the subject by the compression plate 4 during the compression by the compression plate 4. For example, the compression force acquisition unit 22 acquires the compression force that the compression plate 4 applies to the subject's breast from the torque of the motor in the compression plate drive unit 21.

  The breast thickness acquisition unit 23 acquires a breast thickness that is the thickness of the subject's breast being compressed by the compression plate 4 when the compression force acquisition unit 22 acquires the compression force. For example, the breast thickness acquisition unit 23 calculates the movement distance of the compression plate from the rotation amount of the motor in the compression plate drive unit 21 and acquires the breast thickness. However, the breast thickness acquired when the compression plate 4 presses the subject's breast with the technician's hand attached is a thickness obtained by adding the thickness of the technician's hand and the breast thickness.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the breast thickness acquisition unit 23 acquire the compression force and the breast thickness from the torque and rotation amount of the motor in the compression plate drive unit 21 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the compression force and the breast thickness may be acquired by a pressure sensor or a distance sensor.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the compression force (P) increases as the breast thickness (T) decreases, and the amount of change (inclination of the compression force) of the compression force (P) with respect to the breast thickness (T) is Because the compressed breast gradually hardens, it increases rapidly. That is, the point in time when the “slope of the compression force” suddenly changes is an appropriate timing for pulling out the hand of the engineer (time). Even after the technician's hand is pulled out, the compression by the compression plate 4 is continued, the breast thickness (T) decreases, and the compression force (P) and the “slope of the compression force” continue to increase. The compression by the compression plate 4 is completed by the operation of an engineer who has determined that the subject's breast is in the imaging state.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 calculates a compression force change amount that is a change amount of the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22. Note that the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 according to the present embodiment calculates the compression force change amount with respect to the change amount of the breast thickness acquired by the breast thickness acquisition unit 23.

  Specifically, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 calculates the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 when the breast thickness (T) acquired by the breast thickness acquisition unit 23 decreases by a predetermined value (ΔT). The amount of change in compression force (G) is calculated from the amount of change in P). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 compresses the compression force “P (0)” and the breast thickness “T (” at the start of compression acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the breast thickness acquisition unit 23. 0) ”and the compression thickness when the breast thickness becomes“ T (0) −ΔT ”is“ P (1) ”, the amount of change in compression force (G) at this time is expressed as“ (P (1) −P (0)) / ΔT ”. Similarly, if the compression thickness when the breast thickness becomes “T (0) −2 × ΔT” is “P (2)”, the “compression force used when calculating the amount of change in the previous compression force” is used. : P (1) ”, the amount of change in the compression force at this time is calculated as“ (P (1) −P (0)) / ΔT ”.

  That is, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 calculates the compression force change amount (G) each time the breast thickness (T) decreases by “ΔT”, and the compression force change amount (G) calculated “kth”. ), If the compression thickness when the breast thickness becomes “T (0) −k × ΔT” is “P (k)”, the “compression force: P used in calculating the amount of change in the previous compression force” is used. (K−1) ”is used to calculate“ (P (k) −P (k−1)) / ΔT ”.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the plotting unit 25 acquires a correspondence relationship between the compression force (P) acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the compression force change amount (G) calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, each time the breast thickness (T) decreases by “ΔT”, the compression force (P) is plotted on the horizontal axis and the change in compression force (G) is plotted on the vertical axis. Plot at coordinates determined by (P) and compression force variation (G). If the breast density of the subject's breast is high, the breast is stiff, so the plot rises faster, whereas if the breast density of the subject's breast is low, the breast is soft, The rise of the plot is slow.

  The area storage unit 26 stores area information set and input by an administrator of the mammography apparatus from an input device included in the image processing apparatus 13. Here, the area information is a boundary between "an area where pressure is applied with a hand" and "an area where a hand is prepared for pulling out", and "an area where a hand is prepared for pulling out" and "suitable for pulling out a hand" For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the boundary with the “region” is set in a graph in which the compression force (P) is abscissa and the amount of change in compression force (G) is ordinate. In the area information shown in FIG. 6, two boundary lines set as straight lines parallel to the vertical axis indicating the amount of change in compression force (G) are set. This is because, for example, when the breast of the subject is soft and thick, even if the compression force increases, the amount of change in the compression force is small, so when the predetermined compression force is reached, the operator's hand is pulled out. Is set.

  The pulling time determination unit 27 is a time when the engineer pulls out the hand based on the compression force (P) acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the compression force change amount (G) calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24. It is determined whether or not it is a certain “pulling time”. Specifically, the extraction timing determination unit 27 determines whether the plot unit 25 determines the compression force (P) and the compression force change amount (G) each time the breast thickness (T) decreases by “ΔT”. Based on the performed plot and the area information stored in the area storage unit 26, it is determined whether or not it is a pulling time.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the drawing time determination unit 27 shifts the plot represented by the plot unit 25 from the “region where pressure is applied with a hand” to the “region where preparation for pulling out a hand” is performed. Then, the information display panel 8 is controlled to display a message “Please prepare for pulling out your hand”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the drawing time determination unit 27 moves the plot represented by the plot unit 25 from “an area for preparing to pull out a hand” to “an area suitable for pulling out a hand”. Then, it is determined that it is in time to pull out, and the information display panel 8 is controlled to display the message “please pull out hand” instead of the message “prepare to pull out hand”. At the same time, the pulling time determination unit 27 controls the compression plate drive unit 21 to stop the compression plate 4 that is compressing the breast of the subject.

  In the present embodiment, the pulling time determination unit 27 that has been determined to be pulling time controls the information display panel 8 to display a message, and causes the compression plate driving unit 21 to stop the movement of the compression plate 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the extraction timing determination unit 27 that has determined that it is the extraction timing only controls the information display panel 8 to display a message. Also good.

  Alternatively, an icon indicating that “the hand is pulled out” is displayed on the information display panel 8, and the pulling time determination unit 27 determined to be a pulling time is in the “state where the hand is pulled out” on the information display panel 8. The information display panel 8 controls the information display panel 8 to display the LED light indicating that it is in the “state where the hand is pulled out” on the information display panel 8. 8 may be a case where control is performed so that the LED light indicating that “the hand is pulled out” is turned on or blinked.

  Further, in the present embodiment, even when it is determined that the plot represented by the plot unit 25 is in “a region where preparation for pulling out a hand” is performed, the extraction timing determination unit 27 displays a message on the information display panel 8. Although the case of controlling has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and until it is determined that the plot represented by the plot unit 25 is in “a region suitable for pulling out a hand”, The determination unit 27 may not perform any processing.

  Moreover, although the present Example demonstrated the case where the extraction timing was judged using the graph which shows the correspondence of compression force (P) and compression force variation | change_quantity (G), this invention is limited to this. Instead, for example, a relational expression between the compression force (P) indicating the boundary in the region information shown in FIG. 7 and the amount of change in compression force (G) is stored, and the pulling time determination unit 27 includes a compression force acquisition unit. When the value obtained by substituting the compression force (P) acquired by 22 into the relational expression is equal to or less than the compression force change amount (G) calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24, the pulling time is It may be determined that there is.

  Next, processing of the mammography apparatus in the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining processing of the mammography apparatus in the present embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the mammography apparatus according to the present embodiment has the compression plate drive unit 21 as a result of the compression foot pedal 7 being operated by the technician after being extended with respect to the imaging table 6 by the hand of the technician. When the compression motor 4 is driven and compression by the compression plate 4 is started (Yes at Step S801), the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the breast thickness acquisition unit 23 start acquiring the compression force and the breast thickness (Step S802). .

  Then, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 waits until the breast thickness (T) decreases by a predetermined value “ΔT” (No in Step S803), and the breast thickness (T) has a predetermined value “ΔT”. If it decreases (Yes at Step S803), the amount of change in compression force is calculated (Step S804, see FIG. 4).

  Subsequently, the plot unit 25 plots the compression force (P) with the compression force (P) acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the compression force change amount (G) calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24. A graph with the horizontal axis as the compression force change amount (G) as the vertical axis is created (step S805).

  After that, the pulling time determination unit 27 determines whether or not the plotting unit 25 has plotted on the “region to prepare for pulling out the hand” (step S806). If it is in the “region to be compressed” (No at Step S806), the process returns to Step S803 and waits until the breast thickness (T) decreases by a predetermined value “ΔT”.

  On the other hand, when the plot represented by the plot unit 25 moves from the “region where pressure is applied with a hand” to the “region where preparation is made to pull out the hand” (Yes in step S806). ), The information display panel 8 is controlled, and the information display panel 8 displays a message “please prepare to pull out the hand” (step S807).

  Then, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 waits again until the breast thickness (T) decreases by a predetermined value “ΔT” (No in step S808), and the breast thickness (T) has a predetermined value. When “ΔT” decreases (Yes in step S808), the amount of change in compression force is calculated (step S809), and the plot unit 25 calculates the compression force (P) acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the amount of change in compression force calculation unit 24. A plot of the amount of change in compression force (G) is created (step S810).

  After that, the drawing time determination unit 27 determines whether or not the plot unit 25 has plotted the “region suitable for pulling out a hand” (step S811). If it is in the “region to prepare for pulling out” (No at step S811), the process returns to step S808 and waits until the breast thickness (T) decreases by a predetermined value “ΔT”.

  On the other hand, when the plot represented by the plot unit 25 moves from the “region where preparation for pulling out the hand” to “the region suitable for pulling out the hand” (Yes in step S811). ), The information display panel 8 is controlled, the information display panel 8 displays a message “please pull out the hand”, further controls the compression plate drive unit 21, and the compression plate drive unit 21 controls the compression plate 4. The movement is stopped (step S812).

  Then, when the compression foot pedal 7 is operated by an engineer, the motor provided in the compression plate drive unit 21 is driven, and compression by the compression plate 4 is resumed, and compression is performed until the breast of the subject is in an imaging state (step) S813).

  Subsequently, an X-ray image is taken by the engineer's operation (step S814), and the process ends. That is, by the operation of the technician, the X-ray tube 1 irradiates the breast of the subject that has been compressed to the imaging state, and the FPD provided in the imaging table 6 detects the X-ray that has passed through the breast of the subject. Then, a breast X-ray image is taken. After that, the photographed breast X-ray image is transmitted to the image processing device 13, and the image processing device 13 performs predetermined image processing and image processing is performed on the monitor which is a display device. Display an image.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the motor included in the compression plate drive unit 21 is driven and compression by the compression plate 4 is started, the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the breast thickness acquisition unit 23 The acquisition of the breast thickness is started, the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 calculates the compression force change amount every time the breast thickness decreases by a predetermined value, and the plot unit 25 displays the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22. A plot of the force and the compression force change amount calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 is created. Then, the pulling time determination unit 27 is based on the plot indicating the correspondence between the compression force (P) and the compression force change amount (G) created by the plot unit 25 and the region information stored in the region storage unit 26. , Determine when to pull out. Specifically, the point in time when the plot created by the plot unit 25 moves to the “region suitable for pulling out the hand” stored in the region storage unit 26 is determined as the extraction timing. At the same time, the pulling time determination unit 27 controls the information display panel 8 to notify the engineer that it is in the pulling time, and further controls the compression plate driving unit 21 to control the compression plate 4 by the compression plate driving unit 21. Stop moving. For this reason, it is possible to avoid that the breast is displaced because the compression state when the technician pulls out the hand is too weak, and that the compression with the compression plate is performed again. It is possible to reduce the burden on the operator. In addition, it is possible to avoid excessive pressure when pulling out the hand, and the engineer can smoothly pull out the hand from the subject, reducing the burden on the subject and the operator of the mammography apparatus. It becomes possible.

  Further, since the breast tissue can be reliably drawn out within the field of view of the FPD, which is an X-ray detector provided in the imaging table 6, and the breast tissue can be sufficiently expanded, the image quality of the breast X-ray image can be ensured and the diagnostic ability Can be secured. Furthermore, since imaging failure such as breast displacement can be prevented, the imaging time can be shortened and the X-ray exposure dose of the subject can be reduced.

  In addition, although the present Example demonstrated the case where it was judged whether it was an extraction timing based on compression force and compression force variation | change_quantity, this invention is not limited to this, FIG. It may be a case where it is determined whether or not it is a pulling time based on other criteria shown. Here, FIG. 9 is a figure for demonstrating the modification in this invention.

  That is, the pulling time determination unit 27 may determine whether or not it is a pulling time based on only the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22. In that case, as the area information stored in the area storage unit 26, for example, as shown in FIG. 9A, two threshold values are set as boundaries for the compression force (P). The three areas are defined as “an area for pressing with a hand”, “an area for preparing for pulling out a hand” and “an area suitable for pulling out a hand”. The point in time when the compression force acquired by the acquisition unit 22 has shifted from the “region for preparing to pull out a hand” to the “region suitable for pulling out a hand” is determined as an extraction timing.

  Further, the pulling time determination unit 27 may determine whether or not it is a pulling time based on only the amount of change in the compression force calculated by the amount calculation unit 24 of the compression force. In this case, as the area information stored in the area storage unit 26, for example, as shown in FIG. 9B, two threshold values are set as boundaries for the compression force change amount (G). The three thresholds are defined by three threshold values, “an area where pressure is applied with a hand”, “an area where preparation is made to pull out a hand” and “an area suitable for pulling out a hand”. The time point when the amount of change in the compression force calculated by the amount-of-compression-force calculating unit 24 has shifted from the “region for preparing to pull out the hand” to the “region suitable for pulling out the hand” is determined as the pulling timing. In this case, the compression force change amount calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 may not be the change amount of the compression force with respect to the breast thickness but the change amount of the compression force with respect to the time from the start of compression.

  In addition, when the breast thickness is acquired, the breast thickness acquisition unit 23 corresponds to the breast thickness at the start (the T (0) illustrated in FIG. 4) that is the breast thickness at the time of the compression start by the compression plate 4. The withdrawal time determination unit 27 further obtains the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition unit 22 and the decrease in breast thickness acquired by the breast thickness acquisition unit 23. It may be a case where it is judged whether it is a pulling time based on. In this case, as the area information stored in the area storage unit 26, for example, as shown in FIG. 9C, “an area for pressing with a hand” and “an area for preparing to pull out a hand” A graph of the boundary and the boundary between the “region to prepare for pulling out the hand” and the “region suitable for pulling out the hand” with the breast thickness reduction amount (R) as the horizontal axis and the compression force (P) as the vertical axis The drawing timing determination unit 27 sets the plot showing the correspondence between the amount of reduction in breast thickness and the compression force created by the plot unit 25 in order to “pull out the hand” from the “region where preparation for pulling out the hand” is performed. The point in time when moving to the “suitable area” is determined as the pulling time.

  Whether or not the extraction timing determination unit 27 is an extraction timing based on the compression force change amount calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit 24 and the breast thickness reduction amount acquired by the breast thickness acquisition unit 23. It may be a case where it is judged. In this case, as the area information stored in the area storage unit 26, for example, as shown in (D) of FIG. 9, "an area for pressing with a hand" and "an area for preparing to pull out the hand" The boundary and the boundary between the “region for preparing to pull out a hand” and the “region suitable for pulling out a hand” are represented by a reduction in breast thickness (R) on the horizontal axis and a change in compression force (G) on the vertical axis. The drawing timing determination unit 27 sets the plot indicating the correspondence between the reduction in breast thickness and the amount of change in compression force created by the plot unit 25 from the “region where preparation for pulling out the hand” is performed. The point of time when moving to the “region suitable for pulling out” is determined as the pulling time.

  As described above, also by the method shown in FIGS. 9A to 9D, the operator's hand can be pulled out at an appropriate time during the compression by the compression plate 4.

  In addition, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or the processes described as being performed manually can be performed. All or a part can be automatically performed by a known method. In addition, the processing procedure, control procedure, specific name, and information including various data and parameters shown in the above-described document and drawings can be arbitrarily changed unless otherwise specified.

  Further, each component of each illustrated apparatus is functionally conceptual, and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as illustrated. In other words, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or a part thereof may be functionally or physically distributed or arbitrarily distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads or usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Further, all or any part of each processing function performed in each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

  As described above, the breast X-ray imaging apparatus and the breast compression program according to the present invention are further expanded after the operator's hand is extended by the operator's hand and then compressed by the compression plate, and the operator's hand is pulled out. This is useful when taking an X-ray image of the breast of the subject that has been compressed until the imaging state is obtained by the compression plate, and is particularly suitable for reducing the burden on the subject and the operator of the mammography apparatus.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the mammography apparatus in a present Example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a compression board control part. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between compression force and breast thickness. It is a figure for demonstrating the compression force variation | change_quantity calculation part. It is a figure for demonstrating a plot part. It is a figure for demonstrating an area | region memory | storage part. It is a figure for demonstrating the extraction time determination part. It is a figure for demonstrating the process of the mammography apparatus in a present Example. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification in this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 X-ray tube 2 Radiation quality adjustment filter / Irradiation field restriction mask 3 Face guard 4 Compression board 5 Grid 6 Imaging stand 7 Compression foot pedal 8 Information display panel 9 C arm up / down / rotation fine adjustment switch 10 Side panel 11 Imaging condition setting panel DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 X-ray high voltage apparatus 13 Image processing apparatus 20 Compression board control part 21 Compression board drive part 22 Compression force acquisition part 23 Breast thickness acquisition part 24 Compression force change amount calculation part 25 Plotting part 26 Area | region memory | storage part 27 Extraction time judgment part

Claims (9)

The hands of the operator are compressed by the compression plate together with the operator's hand after being extended with respect to the image capturing base, until the photographing state by further the compression plate after the hand of the operator has withdrawn from said compression plate A mammography apparatus that captures an X-ray image of a breast of a compressed subject,
A compression force acquisition means for acquiring a compression force applied by the compression plate to the breast of the subject during compression of the operator's hand and the breast of the subject by the compression plate;
Whether or not it is an extraction timing that is an opportunity to extract the operator's hand being pressed together with the breast of the subject by the compression plate from the compression plate based on the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition means A pulling time judgment means for judging whether or not
A mammography apparatus characterized by comprising: A compression force change amount calculating means for calculating a compression force change amount that is a change amount of the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition means;
2. The breast X according to claim 1, wherein the extraction timing determination unit determines whether or not the extraction timing is based on the compression force change amount calculated by the compression force change amount calculation unit. X-ray equipment. When the compression force is acquired by the compression force acquisition means, it further comprises breast thickness acquisition means for acquiring a breast thickness that is the thickness of the subject being compressed by the compression plate,
The mammography apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the compression force change amount calculation unit calculates the compression force change amount with respect to the change amount of the breast thickness acquired by the breast thickness acquisition unit.   The pulling time determination means determines whether or not the pulling time is based on the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition means and the compression force change amount calculated by the compression force change amount calculation means. The mammography apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the determination is made. The breast thickness acquisition means acquires the breast thickness and further acquires a breast thickness reduction amount that is a difference between the acquired breast thickness and a starting breast thickness that is a breast thickness at the start of compression by the compression plate. ,
The extraction timing determination unit determines whether or not the extraction timing is based on the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition unit and the breast thickness reduction amount acquired by the breast thickness acquisition unit. The mammography apparatus according to claim 3.   Whether or not the extraction timing determination means is the extraction timing based on the compression force change amount calculated by the compression force change amount calculation means and the breast thickness decrease amount acquired by the breast thickness acquisition means. The mammography apparatus according to claim 5, wherein:   7. The pressure control unit according to claim 1, further comprising a compression control unit that controls the compression plate to stop the compression when the extraction timing determination unit determines that the extraction timing is reached. The mammography apparatus as described in one.   The breast X according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising notification means for notifying the operator that the extraction timing is determined by the extraction timing determination means. X-ray equipment. The hands of the operator are compressed by the compression plate together with the operator's hand after being extended with respect to the image capturing base, until the photographing state by further the compression plate after the hand of the operator has withdrawn from said compression plate A breast compression program for causing a computer to execute a breast compression method by a mammography apparatus that captures an X-ray image of a breast of a compressed subject,
A compression force acquisition procedure for acquiring a compression force applied by the compression plate to the breast of the subject during compression of the operator's hand and the breast of the subject by the compression plate;
Whether or not it is an extraction timing that is an opportunity to extract the operator's hand being pressed together with the breast of the subject by the compression plate from the compression plate based on the compression force acquired by the compression force acquisition procedure A procedure for determining when to pull out,
Breast compression program characterized by causing a computer to execute.

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