Tactile imaging: a method for documenting breast masses

Author

Wellman, Parris S. ; Howe, Robert D. ; Dewagan, Navin ; Cundari, Michael A. ; Dalton, Edward ; Kern, Kenneth A.

Author_Institution

Div. of Eng. & Appl. Sci., Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA, USA

Volume

2

fYear

1999

fDate

36434

Abstract

We present a new method of imaging soft tissues that promises to improve the documentation of the size of breast masses. This system makes a series of distributed pressure measurements and averages them into a composite tactile map of the palpable structure. We estimated mass size from tactile maps made in a limited clinical trial. The system proved to be nearly three times as accurate as ultrasound and manual estimates of mass size

Keywords

biological tissues; biomechanics; biomedical imaging; biomedical transducers; distributed sensors; mammography; pressure measurement; pressure sensors; tumours; breast masses; composite tactile map; distributed pressure measurements; limited clinical trial; palpable structure; size documentation; soft tissues; tactile imaging; Biomedical engineering; Biomedical imaging; Breast; Computed tomography; Documentation; Magnetic heads; Medical diagnostic imaging; Oncological surgery; Pressure measurement; Ultrasonic imaging;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

[Engineering in Medicine and Biology, 1999. 21st Annual Conference and the 1999 Annual Fall Meetring of the Biomedical Engineering Society] BMES/EMBS Conference, 1999. Proceedings of the First Joint

Conference_Location

Atlanta, GA

ISSN

1094-687X

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5674-8

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IEMBS.1999.804295

Filename

804295