title: Computer-aided detection of clustered microcalcifications in multiscale bilateral filtering regularized reconstructed digital breast tomosynthesis volume.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Develop a computer-aided detection (CADe) system for clustered microcalcifications in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) volume enhanced with multiscale bilateral filtering (MSBF) regularization.
  
  
  METHODS
  With Institutional Review Board approval and written informed consent, two-view DBT of 154 breasts, of which 116 had biopsy-proven microcalcification (MC) clusters and 38 were free of MCs, was imaged with a General Electric GEN2 prototype DBT system. The DBT volumes were reconstructed with MSBF-regularized simultaneous algebraic reconstruction technique (SART) that was designed to enhance MCs and reduce background noise while preserving the quality of other tissue structures. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of MCs was further improved with enhancement-modulated calcification response (EMCR) preprocessing, which combined multiscale Hessian response to enhance MCs by shape and bandpass filtering to remove the low-frequency structured background. MC candidates were then located in the EMCR volume using iterative thresholding and segmented by adaptive region growing. Two sets of potential MC objects, cluster centroid objects and MC seed objects, were generated and the CNR of each object was calculated. The number of candidates in each set was controlled based on the breast volume. Dynamic clustering around the centroid objects grouped the MC candidates to form clusters. Adaptive criteria were designed to reduce false positive (FP) clusters based on the size, CNR values and the number of MCs in the cluster, cluster shape, and cluster based maximum intensity projection. Free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) and jackknife alternative FROC (JAFROC) analyses were used to assess the performance and compare with that of a previous study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Unpaired two-tailed t-test showed a significant increase (p < 0.0001) in the ratio of CNRs for MCs with and without MSBF regularization compared to similar ratios for FPs. For view-based detection, a sensitivity of 85% was achieved at an FP rate of 2.16 per DBT volume. For case-based detection, a sensitivity of 85% was achieved at an FP rate of 0.85 per DBT volume. JAFROC analysis showed a significant improvement in the performance of the current CADe system compared to that of our previous system (p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MBSF regularized SART reconstruction enhances MCs. The enhancement in the signals, in combination with properly designed adaptive threshold criteria, effective MC feature analysis, and false positive reduction techniques, leads to a significant improvement in the detection of clustered MCs in DBT.
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5842.
authors: Ravi K
authors: RK
authors: Samala
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5842.
authors: Heang-Ping
authors: HP
authors: Chan
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5842.
authors: Yao
authors: Y
authors: Lu
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5842.
authors: Lubomir
authors: L
authors: Hadjiiski
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5842.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Wei
authors: Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Maryland 20993.
authors: Berkman
authors: B
authors: Sahiner
authors: Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5842.
authors: Mark A
authors: MA
authors: Helvie
mesh_terms: D001940:Breast; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008327:Mammography / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio