title: Automated analysis of breast parenchymal patterns in whole breast ultrasound images: preliminary experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A computerized classification scheme to recognize breast parenchymal patterns in whole breast ultrasound (US) images was developed. A preliminary evaluation of the system performance was performed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Breast parenchymal patterns were classified into three categories: mottled pattern (MP), intermediate pattern (IP), and atrophic pattern (AP). Each classification was defined as proposed by an experienced physician. A total of 281 image features were extracted from a volume of interest which was automatically segmented. Canonical discriminant analysis with stepwise feature selection was employed for the classification of the parenchymal patterns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The classification scheme accuracy was computed to be 83.3% (10/12 cases) in MP cases, 91.7% (22/24 cases) in IP cases, 92.9% (13/14 cases) in AP cases, and 90.0% (45/50 cases) in all the cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The feasibility of an automated ultrasonography classifier for parenchymal patterns was demonstrated with promising results in whole breast US images.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intelligent Image Information, Division of Regeneration and Advanced Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu University, Yanagido, Gifu, Japan. ikedo@fjt.info.gifu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikedo
authors.forename: Takako
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Gobert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: Etsuo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Takada
authors.forename: Tokiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
mesh_terms: D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016217:Ultrasonography, Mammary / Q000379:methods*