A
tissue biopsy device uses
ultrasonic imaging to guide the
biopsy needle. An
ultrasonic imaging device comprises three acoustically coupled chambers with an
ultrasound transducer in a first chamber, at least a portion of an
ultrasound detector in the second chamber and the portion of patient
anatomy to be imaged placed in the third chamber, which is intermediate the first and second chambers. The three chambers are filled with an acoustically transmissive liquid. One or more of the end walls dividing the first and third chambers and second and third chambers may be movable to form compression plates that are used to retain the patient
anatomy in a
fixed position during the imaging and
biopsy process. When a structure, such as a
lesion, has been located, the imaging may be used to determine the precise location of the
lesion in three dimensions. The ultrasonically transmissive fluid is drained from the central third chamber with ultrasonic
coupling occurring through the ultrasonically transmissive compression plates and the imaged patient
anatomy. This permits real-time imaging of the patient anatomy during the
biopsy process. The three-dimensional coordinates are used to provide a manual guide for
insertion of the biopsy needle. Light bars may be projected onto the external anatomy of the patient to indicate the desired
point of entry of the biopsy needle. The physician may use the real-time imaging to view both the
lesion and the biopsy needle. In an alternative embodiment, a biopsy needle may be automatically positioned at the location of the lesion by a three-dimensional
positioning system.