Patent · US Expired

Motorized mammographic biopsy apparatus

US5415169A · kind A · utility

446Cited by
28References
3Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 17, 1993
Grant dateMay 16, 1995
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 17, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N13/254
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A motorized biopsy needle positioner employed in a mammographic needle biopsy system receives coordinate information representative of an identified point of interest within a patient's captive breast under examination and automatically positions a biopsy needle in accordance with that coordinate information to permit insertion of the biopsy needle to the identified point of interest. An offset mode of operation of the motorized biopsy needle positioner automatically positions the biopsy needle in accordance with coordinate information representative of an offset point within the patient's breast that is offset from the previously identified point of interest to permit insertion of the biopsy needle to that offset point. A manual mode of operation of the motorized biopsy needle positioner permits the user to actuate directional keys of a user control unit to position the biopsy needle in one or more directions, as specified by the actuated directional keys.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.