title: Detection of microcalcifications in digital mammograms using wavelets.
abstract: This paper presents an approach for detecting microcalcifications in digital mammograms employing wavelet-based subband image decomposition. The microcalcifications appear in small clusters of few pixels with relatively high intensity compared with their neighboring pixels. These image features can be preserved by a detection system that employs a suitable image transform which can localize the signal characteristics in the original and the transform domain. Given that the microcalcifications correspond to high-frequency components of the image spectrum, detection of microcalcifications is achieved by decomposing the mammograms into different frequency subbands, suppressing the low-frequency subband, and, finally, reconstructing the mammogram from the subbands containing only high frequencies. Preliminary experiments indicate that further studies are needed to investigate the potential of wavelet-based subband image decomposition as a tool for detecting microcalcifications in digital mammograms.
authors.affiliation: PCD R & D, U.S. Robotics, Skokie, IL 60077-2690, USA.
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Karayiannis
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement