Computer-aided detection of clustered microcalcifications on digital mammograms

Med Biol Eng Comput. 1995 Mar;33(2):174-8. doi: 10.1007/BF02523037.

Abstract

A computer-aided diagnosis scheme to assist radiologists in detecting clustered microcalcifications from mammograms is being developed. Starting with a digital mammogram, the scheme consists of three steps. First, the image is filtered so that the signal-to-noise ratio of microcalcifications is increased by suppression of the normal background structure of the breast. Secondly, potential microcalcifications are extracted from the filtered image with a series of three different techniques: a global thresholding based on the grey-level histogram of the full filtered image, an erosion operator for eliminating very small signals, and a local adaptive grey-level thresholding. Thirdly, some false-positive signals are eliminated by means of a texture analysis technique, and a non-linear clustering algorithm is then used for grouping the remaining signals. With this method, the scheme can detect approximately 85% of true clusters, with an average of two false clusters detected per image.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Breast Diseases / diagnostic imaging*
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnostic imaging
  • Calcinosis / diagnostic imaging*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Mammography / methods*
  • Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / methods*