US 7,349,521 B2
Compression paddle for mammography systems
Abdulrahman Abdallah Al-Khalidy, Latham, N.Y. (US); Ajay Kapur, New York, N.Y. (US); Jeffrey Wayne Eberhard, Albany, N.Y. (US); Henri Souchay, Versailles (France); and Philip Alexander Shoemaker, Scotia, N.Y. (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Niskayuna, N.Y. (US)
Filed on Oct. 25, 2005, as Appl. No. 11/257,837.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/682777, filed on May 19, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0262899 A1, Nov. 23, 2006
Int. Cl. A61B 6/04 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 378—37 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A compression paddle comprising:
a paddle base and
a paddle wall comprising:
a first side-wall;
a second side-wall; wherein the first side-wall or the second side-wall are disposed upon the paddle base and inclined with respect to the paddle base at an angle that is effective to permit an x-ray beam from an x-ray source uninterrupted access to an object of interest, said object located on an opposing side of the paddle base from the x-ray source, wherein an angle between a central axis of the x-ray beam and a vertical to the paddle base taken at an inner surface of the first side-wall or an inner surface of the second side-wall is about 15 degrees to about 75 degrees; and
bracket, wherein the bracket comprises a groove for fixedly attaching or matingly engaging the compression paddle; a first arm; and a second arm; each arm having the groove disposed therein; wherein the first arm and the second arm extend from a central portion of the bracket, and wherein the first arm and the second arm comprise angulated upper surfaces that permit an x-ray beam from an x-ray source uninterrupted access to an object of interest, said object located on an opposing side of the paddle base from the x-ray source, wherein an angle between a central axis of the x-ray beam and a vertical to the paddle base taken at an inner surface of the first arm or the inner surface of the second arm is about 15 degrees to about 75 degrees.