A novel technique for assessing local and global differences between mammographic images was developed. This method uses correlations between abstract features extracted from corresponding views to compare image properties without resorting to processes that depend on exact geometrical congruence, such as image subtraction, which have a tendency to produce excessive artifact. The method begins by normalizing both digitized mammograms, after which a series of global and local feature filters are applied to each image. Each filter calculates values characterizing a particular property of the given image, and these values, for each property of interest are arranged in a feature vector. Corresponding elements in the two feature vectors are combined to produce a difference vector that indicates the change in the particular properties between images. Features are selected which are expected to be relatively invariant with respect to breast compression.

Date Published: 15 May 2003
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 5032, Medical Imaging 2003: Image Processing, (15 May 2003); doi: 10.1117/12.483559

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 5032:
Medical Imaging 2003: Image Processing
Milan Sonka; J. Michael Fitzpatrick, Editor(s)