BREAST COMPRESSION PADDLE WITH ACCESS CORNERS

The front wall of an imaging system breast compression paddle is adjacent to and faces a patients chest wall during imaging. The front wall has a reference surface adjacent to the chest wall. The bottom wall which is connected to a curved lower interface extends away, from the chest wall and is adjacent to the top of a compressed breast. Two outer edges which extend away from the front reference surface, partially define a slightly raised central portion of the bottom wall. A bottom reference plane, a vertical reference plane substantially orthogonal to the front reference surface and the bottom reference plane, and an access surface disposed proximate at least one of the two outer edge portions are each defined by the bottom wall. The access surface is non-orthogonal to the front reference surface, the bottom reference plane, and the vertical reference plane.